The excitement behind the Oakland Raiders incoming rookie class can take expectations to a new level.
Most fans are innately optimistic about the fresh talent with the utmost faith in their team’s general manager and coaching staff to make the best choices to improve the team. However, coaches and general managers are fired every year for poor personnel decisions, and sometimes rookies don’t pan out.
The Raiders drafted 10 rookies in hopes of elevating this franchise out of a rut and overturn the team's struggling ways. Oakland continued to pick up talented, undrafted players to add depth and fill in some roster ...
The Oakland Raiders have several developing talents worthy of future opportunities but not quite ready to take the field during the 2015 season.
The Raiders would benefit from stashing these talents on the practice squad for at least a year before activating them as part of the 53-man roster.
Practice squads serve as the breeding grounds for NFL rosters when in need of re-enforcements due to injury or subpar talent on the active roster. SBNation.com writer Matt Verderame outlines the guidelines and requirements for practice squads across the league.
Who should the Raiders harvest in the practice unit? Which players have the talent ...
The Oakland Raiders have a young and talented team, which leads to difficult cuts when trimming a 90-man roster down to 53 active players.
The Raiders' roster bubble should resemble the size of a hot air balloon, and we’ll explore some potential keeps and cuts to place the best talent on the field.
The determining factors concerning who’s saved and who’s released hinge upon the following: skill set duplication at the position, need for depth or lack thereof and projection of impact as an active player during the regular season.
We’ll focus on the last five to make the active 53-man roster and ...
The Oakland Raiders have had a very busy offseason. The team brought in a lot of talent both through free agency and the draft. Add to that a brand new coaching staff, and hopes are understandably high in the East Bay.
The ultimate goal for the Raiders is to once again be one of the top teams in the NFL. But a rebuilding team such as this can't look too far ahead. The process of returning to relevance has to begin with smaller, more manageable steps.
For the Raiders, the first step is to be competitive and successful in the AFC West.
Oakland ...
No one knows it yet, but it’s possible the Oakland Raiders signed the next Wes Welker disguised as a fringe player scraping to secure a roster spot.
Yes, you’ve heard of Oakland's No. 4 pick in the 2015 draft, Amari Cooper, the highly touted and talented wide receiver out of Alabama. Let’s dig beyond the sand and gravel to uncover a true diamond in the rough.
Kick Return Ability and Opportunity
Who is Austin Willis?
Willis is exactly who Welker was upon breaking into the league, and he’s going to follow the same route to garner respect from Raider Nation and his opponents.
In 2004, when ...
The Oakland Raiders have big-impact players in David Carr and Khalil Mack, but there are other players on their roster who make big contributions.
Who is their unsung hero? Which player should get more credit for his work?
Watch as Adam Lefkoe and Bleacher Report NFL Analyst Chris Simms discuss the Raiders' unsung hero in the video above. Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com
Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie will be lauded for his confidence or chastised for his stubbornness in handling the cornerbacks.
McKenzie decided not to arm his secondary with proven talent at the cornerback position in a pass-happy league. The Raiders' top three projected cornerbacks have a combined 15 starts, among them oft-injured leading cornerback D.J. Hayden.
The Raiders weren’t strapped for cash, and they decided to wait until the seventh round to select cornerback Dexter McDonald out of Kansas who’s an undeveloped talent with potential. What gives, McKenzie? No solid plan B for a fragile inexperienced group still learning the game? ...
It’s about that time of the year to deliver the Oakland Raiders’ offseason state of the union. We’re not discussing foreign policies or economic climates, but for Raider Nation this is the consummate overview of the roster at its current state.
The Raiders had a busy offseason. General manager Reggie McKenzie led a progressive free-agent signing period and drafted 10 players. Roster turnover was needed in Oakland. Since McKenzie’s hire as GM in 2012, the franchise has 11 wins.
Starting with Jack Del Rio’s hire, the somber-smelling air around Alameda changed drastically. The team brought in impact free agents and let go of ...
The Oakland Raiders have a lot of young talent on their defense.How good can the defense be in 2015? Can the Raiders have a top-10 defense?Watch as Stephen Nelson and Bleacher Report NFL Analyst Chris Simms discuss the Raiders defense in the video above.Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com
The Oakland Raiders have completed an especially important set of offseason activities. With a new coaching staff and lots of new faces, there are plenty of first impressions to be made and spots to be earned.
There's still a lot of time before the season, but now is the time when players can establish, or at least begin to establish, more prominent roles on the team. A good performance during offseason activities can provide a major advantage once the preseason gets going.
Offseason activities have to be taken in the proper context. No one's wearing pads, and there are a lot of ...