ALAMEDA – The 2014 Raiders draft class entered a bad situation determined to make it better. The team was awful then, working out salary-cap issues while trying to establish a young foundation and build a competitive team.
Khalil Mack, Derek Carr, Gabe Jackson, Justin Ellis and TJ Carrie gave them hope. Reggie McKenzie got five legitimate contributors from that class, guys who made starts as rookies and four years after.
Working through arduous 3-13 season featuring 10 straight losses and a head coach fired in-season was difficult, but it also bonded the group together.
That’s especially true of the group’s premier talents, playing premier positions.