Rolando McClain – 2010
What a time to get a pick wrong. We know all about the on and off the field issues McClain had in his time as a Raider. However, it’s important to point out how badly the Raiders whiffed on this one. There were several players who went after the linebacker that went on to contribute to Super Bowls and winning teams.Â
Brandon Graham, Earl Thomas, Jason Pierre-Paul, Mike Iupati, Maurkice Pouncey, Devin McCourty, Dez Bryant, and Rob Gronkowski all came out of this very same draft. Moreover, the top of the draft was full of star power as well. Trent Williams, Eric Berry, Russell Okung, Ndamukong Suh, and Gerald McCoy were all taken in the top 10. That’s a long list of players that could have helped the Raiders win.Â
Fabian Washington – 2005
Fabian Washington gets special consideration on this list. He wasn’t a bust. He was a decent player for the Raiders at a position Al Davis coveted. He’s on this list because they drafted him 23rd overall while the Green Bay Packers chose quarterback Aaron Rodgers one pick later.
The Raiders traded what became their seventh overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for All-Pro receiver Randy Moss. They had a mercurial target with nobody to throw him the football. With respect to Kerry Collins, the Raiders could have gone for a young upgrade at the time.Â
Meanwhile, Rodgers was in free fall. The Cal quarterback was not supposed to be taken as late as he was. Even at the time, it was considered to be an unusual drop. The Raiders had a chance to take him. A prime Rodgers-Moss pairing might have been the most electric duo the league might ever have seen. After seeing Brady-Moss it’s hard to argue that the pure arm talent of Rodgers doesn’t yield the same result.
It could have been an air raid in Oakland but yet again there are just more stories to tell about what could have been. Bring on the 2021 NFL Draft.
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Top Photo: Ray Chavez/Bay Area News