Raiders Draft Picks: Where are they now? (Reggie McKenzie Edition)

2015

Amari Cooper (1st/4th overall)

Over nine years later, Amari Cooper is still one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He currently plays for the Cleveland Browns after three and a half years with both the Raiders and Cowboys. A member of the NFL All-Rookie Team and a five-time Pro Bowler, Cooper has made his mark in the league with seven 1,000-yard seasons in nine years. This was a great selection, if only he and the Raiders could have worked out their differences so he could have stayed longer.

Mario Edwards Jr. (2nd/35th Overall)    

Though he never fully found his footing with the Raiders, Mario Edwards Jr. has carved out a nice NFL career for himself. He signed with the Houston Texans this offseason, the sixth NFL team he has been a member of. He has 21.5 career sacks and four forced fumbles, as well as four fumble recoveries. 

Clive Walford (3rd/68th Overall)

Walford had two solid seasons to begin his career with the Silver & Black, but by his third year, he began his descent as a player. He last played for the Miami Dolphins in 2019 after a one-season stint with the New York Jets, playing five NFL seasons and collecting 825 yards and six touchdowns. 

Jon Feliciano (4th/128th Overall)

While Feliciano only started eight games in his four years as a member of the Raiders, he has now totaled 61 NFL starts in 113 appearances. He started all 16 games for the Buffalo Bills in 2019, his first of three seasons with the squad. He then played a year for the New York Giants but is currently on the San Francisco 49ers again this season after starting seven games in 2023 for them and appearing in 16. 

Ben Heeney (5th/140th Overall)

Ben Heeney started five games in his two-year stint with the Raiders before being placed on IR and eventually waived. The Saints had him on their team for two weeks in 2017 before the Houston Texans picked him up, but after only five games with the team, the Texans waived him, and he never played in the NFL again. In 2020, he was a first-round selection for the New York Guardians of the XFL, but the league was shut down when COVID hit, and it is unknown what he has been doing since.

Neiron Ball (5th/161st Overall)

Ball only played in six games for the Raiders in 2015, starting two, before he was placed on injured reserve and waived by the organization. Sadly, in 2018, he suffered an aneurysm and eventually passed away on September 9th, 2019. Rest in peace Neiron Ball. 

Max Valles (6th/179th Overall), Anthony Morris (7th/218th Overall), Andre Debose (7th/221st Overall)

None of these players ever played in an NFL game. Valles signed with the Ottawa Redblacks in the CFL in 2019, Anthony Morris has bounced around the CFL, AAF, and XFL, and Debose retired in 2017 after a short stint in the CFL. 

Dexter McDonald (7th/242nd Overall)

McDonald spent three seasons as a member of the Oakland Raiders, starting six games while appearing in 27. In 2017, his final season, he had seven pass deflections, a forced fumble, and 43 combined tackles. However, he was waived after being placed on injury reserve early in the 2018 season and has not played football since. 

Takeaways: This draft class had some talented players, and three of them are heading into year 10 of their NFL careers, so it is hard to say that this class was a swing-and-miss. However, with 10 total selections, only 1 of them spent 4 seasons with the team. Cooper was an incredible pick and was not only a two-time Pro Bowler with the Raiders, but a pivotal part of the 2016 playoff run. This pick alone elevates the class; however, this draft still rates as a D+ because none of these guys turned into the players they could have been for the Raiders.