Grading the Las Vegas Raiders last 5 top-10 draft picks
By Brad Weiss
Grading the Las Vegas Raiders last 5 top-10 draft picks
2014: Khalil Mack, University of Buffalo, 5th Overall
The 2014 draft class for the Raiders was a special one, as it brought in two player who would become close friends and lead the franchise back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 NFL season. In the first round, the Raiders held the No. 5 overall pick, and with it, they brought in a generational talent to their defensive line.
Khalil Mack may have went to a small football school at the University of Buffalo, but he played anything but small during his time in the Silver and Black. Mack burst onto the scene in Year 1, nearly winning Rookie of the Year honors, before becoming an All-Pro player during the 2015 NFL season, leading the NFL in sacks with 15.
In 2016, Mack would win the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year honor, earning first-team All-Pro honors again, and his play helped the Raiders to the playoffs. He would play only one more season with the Raiders, as he was traded after the 2017 campaign by Jon Gruden, another top-5 selection traded away by Gruden for draft capital.
In the end, Mack was one of the best Raiders players the franchise had seen in a long time, and could have been an all-time franchise great had he stuck around a few more years.
Grade: A+