Power ranking each of the past 20 Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders first-round picks
By Brad Weiss
Power ranking each of the past 20 Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders first-round picks
- No. 6. Karl Joseph: 14th overall, 2016 NFL Draft
The Raiders selected Karl Joseph with the No. 14 overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, and he played a key part in their first playoff appearance since the 2002 NFL season as a rookie. Joseph was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team after notching 60 tackles in 12 games and would slide into the starting lineup in Year 2.
Joseph had some nice moments for the Raiders, displaying the ability to come up and make a big hit, but he was also very inconsistent. Also, Joseph battled through some injuries with the Raiders, including his final season, where he picked off Philip Rivers on the last play of his career with the franchise, suffering a broken foot and ending his season.
- No. 5. Darren McFadden: 4th overall, 2008 NFL Draft
When you think back at some of the 'what-ifs' in terms of the history of the Raiders, you would have to rank Darren McFadden as a big one. After dominating the college football landscape during his time at Arkansas, McFadden was a top-5 pick of the Raiders, and for the most part, was seen as a very popular pick at the time.
McFadden played seven seasons in the Silver and Black, but unfortunately for the Raiders team, had to deal with numerous injuries during that time. He appeared in 16 games only once, and that was not even his best season, as he rushed for 1,157 yards and seven touchdowns in only 13 games as a 23-year-old back in 2010, racking up nearly 2,000 all-purpose yards in the process.
That was the kind of back he could have been had he stayed healthy.