Power ranking each of the past 20 Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders first-round picks
- No. 14. Fabian Washington: 23rd overall, 2005 NFL Draft
After a three-year career at Nebraska, and showing incredible speed during the NFL Scouting Combine, the Raiders selected Fabian Washington in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Washington played in all 16 games as a rookie and was a constant in the lineup during his three seasons with the team, but the team moved on from him, trading him to the Baltimore Ravens.
Washington may not have been a terrible player for the Raiders, but it was the man who was drafted right after him that makes him low on our power rankings. Aaron Rodgers from Cal was the No. 24 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, and after seeing him dominate NFL defenses over the last 15 years, it is clear Washington was not the right choice in this draft.
- No. 13. Gareon Conley: 24th overall, 2017 NFL Draft
The Raiders went into the 2017 NFL Draft with plenty of needs on both sides of the ball but were flying high after making the playoffs the year before. The playoff run was their first in 14 seasons, and with a late first-round pick for the first time in a while, the team decided to bolster the secondary with Gareon Conley from Ohio State.
However, this pick was not met without some eyebrow-raising, as Conley was accused of rape prior to the draft, and the Raiders had to investigate the situation before making him the pick. Conley had his moments in the Silver and Black, including a pick-six off of Baker Mayfield, but he was traded mid-way through his third season to the Houston Texans for a third-round pick, making his Houston debut against the Raiders