Over the last few days, we’ve looked at the best players on the 2021 roster for the Las Vegas Raiders. We now move into the top ten. When we get a good feel for what kind of overall talent the Raiders possess.
10. PK Daniel Carlson
2020 was a bounce-back year for Carlson. In his second season with AJ Cole as his holder, Carlson found his stroke again, nailing 33 of his 35 field goal attempts (94.3%) including a perfect four for four from 50+ yards out. His field goal percentage was good for fourth-best in the NFL last season.
9. WR John Brown
Brown has averaged over 15 yards per catch over the past three seasons with the Ravens and Bills. His season was cut short in 2020 after nine games, but in 2019 he had a career-high 72 catches for 1060 yards and added six touchdowns. He comes in to replace the departed Nelson Agholor who put up career numbers with the Raiders last season.
8. RB Kenyan Drake
A strange signing to be certain as Drake is a luxury item on a team that already had a great starting running back and needed help on defense. But regardless of that, he brings talents with him that are starting caliber. His career average of 4.5 yards per carry, which was 4.8 yards per carry prior to a dip to four yards per carry in 2020.
But despite that slight dip in yards per carry, Drake also had his best overall numbers in terms of rushing yards (955) and touchdowns (10). He’s also been a receiver out of the backfield for much of his career, including in 2018 when he had 53 catches for 477 yards and five touchdowns. Gruden intends to use him a lot in that capacity.
7. CB Trayvon Mullen
One of the few Raiders defenders who came out of last season having seen his play improve. Mullen is also the only member of the secondary whose starting job is unquestioned. He put up two interceptions and 14 pass breakups last season while allowed a respectable 7.7 yards per target.
The 2019 round two pick is a building block for a secondary that otherwise continues to try and find its way and will have at least two new starters next season and quite possibly three.
6. QB Derek Carr
Carr is coming off statistically his best season since his magical 2016 season. What was missing, however, was the magic. He is certainly efficient as a passer, throwing for 27 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. Though his fumbling continues to be a real problem. He had 11 of them last season to give him 63 for his seven-year career. Last season they were a primary factor in the Raiders being the worst fumbling team in the league.
His efficiency as a passer and has not often translated into winning games. And it’s not all on the defense either. Over a five-game stretch late last season in which the Raiders were fighting for a playoff spot, Carr cracked the 100 passer rating barrier just once, throwing just six touchdowns to four interceptions, and the team lost four of those five games and were knocked out of the playoffs. It was eerily similar to the same five-game stretch in 2019.
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