Top 10 Las Vegas Raiders Players Going Into the 2021-22 Season
Can anyone please explain what the hell this team is doing? It’s like they’re going backwards. They have some playmakers but they just aren’t a cohesive unit it feels like. Giving up Trent Brown and Rodney Hudson to reach in the draft and pick Alex Leatherwood just gives me a bad taste. Maybe they see something I don’t, but I don’t know they beat my Chiefs in Week 5 and then almost lost to the Jets. The fact they couldn’t do anything after declaring themselves the “Week 5 champions” tells me Gruden and Mayock might not know what they’re doing.
Waller had an outstanding year in 2020 and proved himself as one of the best tight ends in the NFL. Waller is pretty underrated. His 2019 season was good, but he stepped it up in 2020 and made the Pro Bowl. According to PFF, he is the third-best tight end in the league going into 2021, behind Travis Kelce and George Kittle. Definitely a guy to watch in 2021.
Josh Jacobs has been one of the better running backs in the NFL. His production dipped in 2020, but some of that was due to his offensive line. Jacobs will likely see his numbers improve in 2021. It's worth noting that he made the Pro Bowl in 2020 and is still less than 25 years old. According to PFF, he's the third-best running back under the age of 25, behind Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey. Without a doubt, he'll be one of the biggest contributors to the Raiders' offense.
Derek Dallas Carr is an American football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League. Derek Carr has been serviceable, but he's nothing I'd consider top-tier. He's more middle-of-the-road. He won't embarrass himself, but he's not the type to scramble and take shots downfield. He lacks that killer vibe that someone like Patrick Mahomes or Aaron Rodgers has. Oh, and his O-line is definitely downgraded, so have fun running for your life, Derek.
Nick Kwiatkowski has quietly been one of the best linebackers in the league. He's not the flashiest linebacker out there, but he gets the job done. He earned a grade of 75.3 from Pro Football Focus, which is the best of his career. We can criticize the defense all we want, but give Kwiatkowski credit because he's carrying a significant amount of the weight.
Richard Dominick "Richie" Incognito Jr. is an American football guard for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League. While the Raiders got rid of Trent Brown and Rodney Hudson, which I don't understand, the offensive line still has Richie Incognito. He may have missed most of the season last year and is getting up there in age, but when he's healthy, he's among the best guards in the NFL.
Casey Hayward is among the best corners in the NFL, earning a PFF grade of over 75 when he saw more than 100 snaps. He also has one of the highest incompletion rates in the league. His 2020 season wasn't as good, but there's hope he can bounce back. Otherwise, it might be the beginning of the end for Hayward.
Yannick Ngakoue was part of that 2017 Sacksonville defense. Now, a few years later, he was bounced around from Minnesota to Baltimore and is now in Vegas. He hasn't quite matched his stellar 2017 season, but maybe he'll find his groove with the Raiders. At the very least, he should help improve the Raiders' defense, and he'll have some familiarity with Gus Bradley as well.
He is a decent defensive tackle. He's been pretty healthy and hasn't missed many snaps. The Raiders actually re-signed Hankins, which was smart. The Raiders' defense may be struggling, but Hankins is an exception. He is one of, if not the best, run defenders in the league.
The Raiders decided to bring in Kenyan Drake to be their number two running back on the depth chart, I assume. He's decent enough, but I don't know what kind of touches he will get. Maybe they're going to try to be like Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. I really don't know for sure.
John "Smokey" Brown is an American football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He played college football at Pittsburg State and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Brown has been bounced around from Arizona to Baltimore to Buffalo and is now in Vegas. I assume he's a Nelson Agholor replacement. He's a veteran presence, but how many targets will he get, knowing he'll have to share with Henry Ruggs?
