Raiders Don’t Fare Well In Different Post-Draft Power Rankings

How good are the Las Vegas Raiders when you compare them to their peers? If you go by their 8-8 record last year, they are a middle-of-the-pack but how highly do experts think of them? If you check some of the recent post-draft power rankings, not high enough.

The Raiders look better after the draft than they did after the end of the 2020 season. Then again, most teams also improved this offseason, so it will be hard to tell how much they’ve improved.

For the time being, Dan Hanzus of NFL Media placed them at number 18. He says dunking on Las Vegas’ first-round selections has become a tradition and this year was no different. He quotes coworker Daniel Jeremiah who sees Leatherwood as an ‘interesting pick’. In the end, he thinks that as long as they hit on their picks, it doesn’t matter what others think but later adds they haven’t had much success in recent years.

Darrell Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston ranked them 20th. He likes the fact they took a more conservative approach this year after drafting three wide receivers in 2020. On the other hand, he thinks Las Vegas didn’t select enough ‘Hog Mollies’ to make up for the departure of Trent Brown, Rodney Hudson, and Gabe Jackson this offseason.

Then, there’s Matt Williamson of Pro Football Network, who ranked the Raiders even lower at 24. He believes it’s uncertain whether their offense will be better than it was last year. Moreover, he believes their defense is “still very light on talent”.