Shoes to fill: Best players in franchise history to wear 2024 draft class’ numbers

Which rookie ends up surpassing the Raider to previously wear their digits?

The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the few teams in the NFL that don’t retire numbers. That allows current players to carry on and potentially surpass the legacies of the men who donned the silver and black digits before them. So, now that OTAs are underway and the Raiders’ 2024 draft class has their jerseys, who has the biggest shoes to fill?

Granted, the rookies can change their numbers before the start of the regular season as wide receiver Tre Tucker was wearing No. 89 at this point last year before switching to 11 in the fall. But for now, we’ll take a look at what legacy each rookie is hoping to uphold with their current threads.

Brock Bowers No. 89 — Amari Cooper

Cooper may not be a popular player within Raider Nation anymore, but he certainly was productive. The 2015 first-round pick set rookie records for the franchise and finished with 225 catches for 3,183 yards and 19 touchdowns while making two Pro Bowls during his time in Oakland, three if you count the year he was traded midseason.

Similar to Cooper, Bowers was an award-winning pass-catcher in college and widely considered a top prospect in his draft class. So, there’s a good chance the tight end lives up to the wideout’s legacy with the franchise and could easily surpass it, especially if he signs a second contract with the club.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle would be the Raiders’ quarterback situation as Cooper did have the organization’s all-time passing leader throwing to him, Derek Carr, while the team currently has a position battle going on behind center.

Jackson Powers-Johnson No. 70 — Henry Lawrence

There’s some room for ambiguity here as Kelechi Osemele was also a good offensive lineman for the Raiders. Like Lawrence, Osemele was a two-time Pro Bowler for the Silver and Black, but the former gets the nod due to his longevity (13 seasons) and the fact he was part of all three Super Bowl-winning teams.

The personal accolades are attainable for Powers-Johnson but, as any good offensive lineman will say, the team’s success will be more important. That’s where the second-round pick will have a difficult time filling Lawrence’s shoes as hoisting three Lombardi Trophies is a daunting task. Also, a 13-year career with one team isn’t exactly the norm in today’s NFL.

Delmar Glaze No. 71 — Bill Pickel

This is a tough comparison seeing as it features two players on opposite sides of the trenches.

Pickel spent eight seasons in Los Angeles and was very productive with 454 total tackles and 53 sacks, including three double-digit sack campaigns at the beginning stages of his career from 1984 to 1986. He also was a first-team All-Pro selection in ‘86 and won a Super Bowl during his rookie year.

It’s going to be difficult for Glaze to live up to that legacy seeing as he’ll likely be more of a backup player for the first year or two. But some personal accolades and team success will get the Maryland product closer to filling Pickel’s shoes.

Decamerion Richardson No. 21 — Cliff Branch

This is a special number for the Raiders. While Branch, a 2022 Hall of Fame inductee, is the clear choice for the best player to sport 21, cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Eric Allen also had strong tenures with the organization as well.

Granted, Allen’s best years were with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he did have 15 interceptions with three pick-sixes during his four years in Oakland. As for Asomugha, he’d qualify for the franchise’s All-Decade team during the 2000s with four All-Pro bids (two first-team, two second) and three Pro Bowl appearances.

Out of the entire draft class, Richardson has the biggest shoes to fill. This feels like almost an insurmountable task for a fourth-round pick.

Tommy Eichenberg No. 45 — Dave Grayson

While Marcel Reece was under consideration here and might be the more popular choice given how recently he played and worked for the Raiders, we’re going back to the 60s with No. 45.

Grayson was an original member of the Kansas City Chiefs before getting traded to Oakland in 1965. As a defensive back with the Silver and Black, he racked up 29 interceptions in six years and led the league with 10 picks in 1968. He ended up making five All-AFL teams (four first-team selections) and six All-Star selections.

As a run-defending linebacker, it’s unrealistic to expect Eichenberg to create as many turnovers as Grayson did. Also, while the Ohio State product might be a steal in the fifth-round, making just one post-season team would be impressive, let alone five. In other words, him living up to Grayson’s legacy is a longshot.

Dylan Laube No. 23 — Charlie Smith

There weren’t a ton of options here but Smith had a solid seven-year tenure with the Raiders. The Oakland native and Castlemont High School grad rushed for over 3,300 yards and 24 touchdowns to go along with nearly 1,600 receiving yards and 10 more scores.

That being said, his most famous moment with the club has to be scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the infamous Heidi Game in 1968. Smith’s son, Kevin, also played for the Raiders from 1992 to 1994.

This does create a pretty good comparison for Laube. The sixth-round pick is known for his combination of rushing and receiving skills, making the stat line above attainable. If he can reach those numbers, it would just be a matter of his offspring don the silver and black to live up to Smith’s legacy.

Trey Taylor No. 37 — Lester Hayes

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As a seventh-round pick, just playing out his rookie contract with the organization would be an accomplishment for Taylor. And while the Air Force product does already have an award on his mantle from his college days, it’s going to be nearly impossible for him to fill ‘The Judge’s’ shoes.

Hayes played for 10 years with the Raiders and is tied with Willie Brown for the most interceptions in franchise history (39). In 1980, he picked off 13 passes which not only led the league that year and to him winning the Defensive Player of the Year award, but is also tied for the second-most in a single-season in NFL history.

Additionally, Hayes was a two-time All-Pro selection, named to five Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls with the Silver and Black.

M.J. Devonshire No. 26 — Vann McElroy

Napoleon Kaufman was in consideration here but we’ll keep it in the defensive backfield for No. 26. McElroy logged 31 inteceptions in nine years with the Silver and Black which currently ranks as the fourth-most in franchise history. He also was a four-time second-team All-Pro, two-time Pro Bowler and won a championship with the club.

This is another situation where a late-round pick is going to have a very difficult time filling an organizational great’s shoes as just making the 53-man roster this year would be an accomplishment for Devonshire.