If there’s one thing we can say for sure that the Las Vegas Raiders haven’t been good with in recent years, it’s their first-round picks, something we can also gauge by the amount of fifth-year options the team has picked up.
According to Jason from Over The Cap, the Raiders have one of the worst rates in the NFL since 2018. Las Vegas has picked up an astoundingly low 14.3% of their options, tied for fourth-lowest in the NFL. And it’s not like the Raiders haven’t had many first-round picks, with Las Vegas owning a whopping seven in that span.
Marc Ross: Raiders’ personnel moves point to trust in Minshew as team’s QB1
In a segment on “NFL Total Access”, NFL Network’s Marc Ross explains why the Las Vegas Raiders’ personnel moves point to them having trust in newly-acquired quarterback Gardner Minshew to get the job done as the staring QB ahead of his first season with the Silver and Black.
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The three teams beneath them haven’t picked up a single fifth-year option in that span, a group that includes the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The only fifth-year option the Raiders have picked up since 2018 is of left tackle Kolton Miller. Other first-round picks who have not had their options exercised include running Josh Jacobs, safety Johnathan Abram, defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell, wide receiver Henry Ruggs, cornerback Damon Arnette, and offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood.
Miller is the only one remaining on the Raiders’ roster, also.
That list is certainly a painful trip down memory lane for Raiders fans and underscores how abysmal things have been when it comes to first-round selections. The good news is, general manager Tom Telesco really has nowhere to go but up from here.
