The Raiders Didn't Draft Otto, but He Was Great

As the 2024 NFL Draft approaches, we reflect on one of the greatest professional football players of all time, who wasn't drafted by the Raiders but was great in Silver and Black, Jim Otto.

By finishing the season with an 8-9 record, the Las Vegas Raiders hold the 13th overall selection in the 2024 National Football League Draft after making solid selections last year, including defensive end Tyree Wilson, wide receiver Tre Tucker, tight end Michael Mayer and quarterback Aidan O’Connell.

The Raiders have had many outstanding draft choices in their 64 years, but one of the best was they didn’t exactly choose themselves.

Minnesota was one of the original eight teams slated to play in the inaugural season of the American Football League in 1960. It made its draft selections along with the other seven franchises.

Then, the established NFL came along and lured the Minneapolis owners away, and they created the team that became the Minnesota Vikings.

While the eighth franchise remained in limbo, the other seven franchises raided the list of players drafted by Minneapolis, but they missed the best one -- center Jim Otto.

Otto was undersized when he came out of the University of Miami of Florida at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds. Still, through fanatical work in the weight room, he built himself up to more than 260 and became one of the greatest centers in pro football history.

“His skills as a center were just perfect,” Raiders Hall of Fame Coach John Madden said. “He was one of those guys who never wanted to come out, even in practice. That’s the opposite of most starters, who will say, ‘Send in the second guy.’

“Jim was the Oakland Raiders’ center, and he wasn’t going to give up his spot.”

Otto, who is known as “The Original Raider,” was the only All-AFL center in the 10-year history of the league and played in 12 straight AFL All-Star Games or NFL Pro Bowls on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, to which he was elected in his first year of eligibility in 1980.

Jim Otto wasn't drafted by the Silver and Black, but he is one of the greatest football players in history.

Dexter Ernest Wayne Carpenter, Raiders Today

Otto began his Raiders career wearing No. 50 in 1960 but switched to No. 00 the following season; he started all 210 games he played for the Raiders in his 15 seasons with the Silver and Black and rarely came off the field.

“Jim Otto was the best,” Hall of Fame quarterback Kenny “Snake” Stabler said. “I knew that I was safe up the middle with him there, and when he was uncovered he would pick up rushers coming from the outside. Double-0 was one of the great Raiders and might have been the best center ever.”

During a game in 1963 after Al Davis became the coach and general manager of the Raiders, Otto was shaken up and came off the field. Still, Davis told him: “When I was with the (San Diego) Chargers, we felt if we could get you out of the game, the rest of the Raiders would quit because you are the leader of this team.”

Said Otto: “What Al said to me became etched indelibly in my mind. I took a beating sometimes, but I stayed in the game. I didn’t want to disappoint him, the fans, my family or my teammates. I was a captain for 12 years, and I guess I was the leader.

“It was hard sometimes because I had a chronic problem with my neck. I would get a stinger and it would just about knock me out. But there was no way I was going to come out of the game. What Al said that one time was enough.”

Otto, who is 86 and lives in Auburn, Calif., paid the price, as he has had 74 surgeries, including 28 knee operations, and in 2007 he had part of his right leg amputated.

However, Otto has said it was all worth it several times and would do it over again.

When Otto moved aside in 1975, Dave Dalby from UCLA stepped in at center and did the best imitation of Otto, staying there for every game over the next 11 seasons -- including Raiders victories in Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII.

Incredibly, for 25 years, the only starting centers the Raiders had were Otto and Dalby.

From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.

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

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr, and never miss another breaking news story again. Sign up RIGHT HERE for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes thrice a week and delivers all our best stories.

Please tell us your thoughts when you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.