Defensive tackles: Richard Seymour, Tommy Kelly

2nd team: Desmond Bryant, Justin Ellis

In Seymour’s second season in Oakland, he was moved to defensive tackle and returned to the Pro Bowl. He made it two straight Pro Bowls the next season. He had 18.5 sacks in four seasons with the Raiders, the final four seasons of a Hall of Fame-caliber career.

Kelly was a mainstay on the Raiders defensive line for nine years. He put up 14.5 combined sacks in 2010 and 2011. Kelly was a quintessential 3-tech and one of the best teammates you could ask for. Entering the league in 2004, he may actually be worthy of a couple all-decade Raiders teams.

Defensive ends: Khalil Mack, Lamarr Houston

2nd team: Denico Autry, Matt Shaughnessy

The only tough decision with regard to Khalil Mack was whether to put him on the All-decade team at both defensive end and linebacker. After all, he was the only player in NFL history to be named All-Pro at two different positions in the same season.

In the end, I went with just defensive end. He is easily the best player at any position for the Raiders this decade. It’s a shame he’s playing in Chicago now after the Raiders traded him away rather than pay him his worth. Interestingly enough, when the Raiders didn’t re-sign Lamarr Houston, he too went to Chicago. The same year they drafted Mack. It would have been cool to have seen Houston and Mack play together on the Raiders Dline.

Linebackers: OLB Kamerion Wimbley, OLB Bruce Irvin, ILB NaVorro Bowman

2nd team: Tahir Whitehead, Malcolm Smith, Perry Riley

Oof, This was a tough position to pick from. Simply because the Raiders have been so very bad at linebacker for so long. Wimbley was the one easy choice. He put up 16.0 sacks in two seasons with the Raiders before getting a fat paycheck from the Titans. He was the ultimate strong side backer. Irvin liked to say he was glad when he was finally moved back to DE, but he did his best work at outside linebacker, putting up 15.0 sacks his first two seasons in Oakland.

Bowman spent a grand total of ten games with the Raiders. But in that time, he put up a team-leading 89 tackles and no Raider this decade played the middle linebacker spot better. Keep in mind they wasted the first three years of the decade on Rolando McClain. And there was no way that cancer was making this team.

Cornerbacks: Nnamdi Asomugha, Stanford Routt

2nd team: David Amerson, TJ Carrie

Asomugha played just one season this decade. But he was named All-Pro that season. It was his last with the Raiders before he was given the cold shoulder by Al Davis. Stanford Routt played the first two seasons of the decade, putting up 6 interceptions and 28 passes defended. Amerson got a lot of grief from Raiders fans, but he was a pass breakup machine with 41 passes defended and 6 interceptions in his first two seasons in Oakland.

Safeties: FS Charles Woodson, SS Tyvon Branch

2nd team: Michael Huff, Karl Joseph

CWood with a bullet. He returned to Oakland in 2013 and stuck around for three seasons. Even in his late 30s, he was the most dominant defensive back on the team. He retired in 2015 and two weeks ago lit the Al Davis torch in the final Raiders game ever in Oakland. Next stop: Hall of Fame.

Branch spent seven seasons with the Raiders. His last two seasons with the Raiders ended early with just five combined games played due to injury. Before that, he was a stalwart at the strong safety position for four seasons.

[lawrence-newsletter]