Ranking the Best Raiders' Draft Classes of the Last Decade

The Las Vegas Raiders' past decade worth of draft hauls are questionable, at best. Las Vegas' struggles in the draft over the last decade are a large part of the reason they have lost nearly 30 games in the past two seasons. Failed draft hauls have finally caught up to the Raiders.

Below are the best, and worst draft classes the Raiders have had over the past decade.

2019

Las Vegas struck gold in 2019. The Raiders reeled in Josh Jacobs, Maxx Crosby, Hunter Renfrow and Foster Moreau all in the same draft. Those picks alone easily make 2019 Las Vegas' best draft class of the last decade, by a very large margin.

2021

The Raiders wiffed on Alex Leatherwood. However, Tre'von Moehrig, Malcolm Koonce, Divine Deablo and Nate Hobbs all turned into significant contributors for the Raiders at one point or another.

2024

Las Vegas landed Brock Bowers, Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze in the 2024 draft. That is three starters. As talented as they are and may become, there is only two seasons worth of a sample size. Bowers spent much of one of those seasons hurt.

Still, the class ranks fairly high and still has an immense amount of untapped potential.

2025

The jury is still out on the 2025 draft class, but Ashton Jeanty was a solid pick. Caleb Rogers may be a starter, and Darien Porter is already a significant contributor. Las Vegas also has several others from this class they will make an effort to develop into contributors.

2023

Many may not have liked the Raiders' selection of Tyree Wilson during the 2023 NFL Draft, but his selection boueys this draft class in the rankings.

Along with tight end Michael Mayer, Tre Tucker, and Aidan O'Connell, the Raiders found multiple players who have helped get them through some tough, extended periods of time. That is more than many other Raiders' draft classes of the past decade can say.

2022

The Raiders had fewer selections in the 2022 NFL Draft than any other draft in the past decade because of the Davante Adams trade. Las Vegas did not have a selection until the third round, which changes the grading scale of the draft class, as Adams was technically a part of the incoming talent.

Las Vegas selected offensive lineman Dylan Parham with their third-round pick. Parham played in at least 15 games every season. He started in at least 14 games each of his four seasons in the league.

2018

Las Vegas drafted offensive tackle Kolton Miller with the 15th pick in the NFL Draft. The Raiders traded back in this draft, passing on the chance to select players who eventually became game changers, especially on defense. Still, Miller has grown into one of the best tackles in the league.

The Raiders also drafted defensive end Arden Key in the third round. He only played three seasons with the Raiders, but in conjunction with Miller, makes the Raiders' 2018 draft class better than many others that they have had.

2020

Las Vegas drafted the right player in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, selecting wide receiver Henry Ruggs. An unfortunate, well-publicised off-the-field incident ended Ruggs' time with the Raiders, which the Raiders are still recovering from.

Las Vegas drafted cornerback Damon Arnette in first round of the same draft. His time in Las Vegas would also be shortlived because of off-the-field issues. Those two unforeseen incidents cannot be held against the class as a whole in these rankings, as both were solid players.

2016

In the 2016 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected safety Karl Joseph. He played four seasons with the Raiders, appearing in 49 games with 41 starts. During that time, he had over 200 combined tackles. The rest of the Raiders' 2016 draft class failed to make much of an impact.

Yet, the 2016 draft class was still better than another Raiders' draft class.

2017

The Raiders' 2017 draft class was headlined by cornerback Gareon Conley, who the Raiders drafted with the No. 24 overall pick in the first round. He played two games his rookie season with the Raiders, and was off the team by 2019. That was his last season in the league.

The rest of the Raiders' 2017 draft class included Obi Melifonwu, who they drafted in the second round. He played one season with the Raiders and two total seasons in the league. The rest of the 2017 draft class was equally as forgettable.