Raiders Adhering to Al Davis' Philosophy, Avoiding 'Dog-Pound' Look

The Las Vegas Raiders' roster already looks solid. Now, they must continue to follow late Hall of Famer Al Davis' adage.

The Las Vegas Raiders are in a good place. They finished last season 8-9 and are in a better place than what they started with.

The Raiders have a relatively young roster when it comes to their biggest contributors -- out of the top-11 snap-getters on offense last season (including new signees quarterback Gardner Minshew II and tight end Harrison Bryant), the average age is 26.5 years old, per Pro Football Focus.

On the defensive side of the ball, the average age of the 11 players who had the most snaps is 27.3 years old. That is excluding cornerback Jack Jones, 26, who will be one of the biggest impact players for the Silver and Black's defense this upcoming season.

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco are beginning to establish a culture and, hopefully, stability. The upcoming 2024 NFL Draft is the place to start.

The Raiders hold picks 13, 44, 77, 112, 148, 208, 223 and 229 in the draft. There has been much speculation as to what the Raiders will do with those picks. Despite two NFL starters on the roster in Aidan O'Connell and Minshew -- many have tied the Raiders to Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Some mock drafts have the Raiders building up the right side of the offensive line, while others have Las Vegas getting an upgrade at cornerback.

Only time will tell who will fit best with the Raiders -- but one thing Telesco and Pierce should keep in mind is the late Raider legend Al Davis' philosophy -- as written by former head coach and fellow Hall of Famer Bill Parcells.

"The people -- and former Raiders' owner Al Davis was among them -- who told me if you don't have your philosophy on personnel and you don't have your prototypical values in place on personnel," Parcells wrote, "pretty soon, and these were their exact words, 'Your team looks like a dog pound. One of these, one of those, big ones, little ones, ones that bite, ones that don't.'"

Parcells then stated what he looked for in players. Some of what he described can be found on the Raiders already.

"The critical factors for wide receiver were hands, quickness and speed," he wrote.

Raiders wide receivers Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers both fit the bill. What Parcells wrote about running backs can be seen in the Raiders' running back room.

For an example of the current Raiders prototype, look to the defense. The Silver and Black's front seven contains a wide range of workhorse players that can rush the passer and make tackles, along with football plays that don't show up on a stat sheet -- players like defensive tackles Christian Wilkins and John Jenkins, edge rushers Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce, linebackers Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo -- to name a few. The Raiders have physical, gritty defensive backs like cornerbacks Jones and Nate Hobbs.

Telesco and Pierce know what they want. Now, they just have to remain true to the prototypes come draft day.

Parcell's writing was discussed in a recent episode of the "Las Vegas Insider" podcast.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.

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