On Tuesday, the Las Vegas Raiders set their initial 53-man roster, giving us insight into what Head Coach Jon Gruden and General Manager Mike Mayock were seeing and thinking throughout Training Camp.
The roster features a mix of veterans, young draft picks and a few surprises. Let's take a look at how this Raiders roster was compiled.
NFL Draft (22 players)
| Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Johnathan Abram | S | 2019, first round |
| Damon Arnette | CB | 2020, first round |
| Derek Carr | QB | 2014, second round |
| Maxx Crosby | DE | 2019, fourth round |
| Divine Deablo | LB | 2021, third round |
| Bryan Edwards | WR | 2020, third round |
| Clelin Ferrell | DE | 2019, first round |
| Tyree Gillespie | S | 2021, fourth round |
| Nate Hobbs | CB | 2021, fifth round |
| Josh Jacobs | RB | 2019, first round |
| Malcolm Koonce | DE | 2021, third round |
| Alex Leatherwood | T | 2021, first round |
| Kolton Miller | T | 2018, first round |
| Tre'von Moehrig | S | 2021, second round |
| Foster Moreau | TE | 2019, fourth round |
| Trayvon Mullen Jr. | CB | 2019, second round |
| Tanner Muse | LB | 2020, third round |
| Brandon Parker | T | 2018, third round |
| Hunter Renfrow | WR | 2019, fifth round |
| Amik Robertson | CB | 2020, fourth round |
| Henry Ruggs III | WR | 2020, first round |
| John Simpson | G | 2020, fourth round |
All but one of the Raiders' 2021 draft picks made it to the initial roster after many of them showed out during the preseason. The Raiders have built up a strong foundation on their previous picks and hope to see continued growth among not only their newest additions, but also the growth of last year's draft class which endured an unprecedented football season amid the pandemic.
Derek Carr remains as the sole longest tenured draft pick, now entering his eighth season with the Silver and Black.
Trade (1 player)
| Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Zay Jones | WR | 2019 |
The Raiders acquired Jones from the Buffalo Bills in 2019. Jones has established himself well among the wide receivers and accumulated 62 receiving yards on four receptions over the course of the two preseason games he played. The receiver said he is striving to become a jack-of-all-trades on the offense, which was on display when he lined up at wideout and the slot receiver role throughout camp.
Free Agency (20 players)
| Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Carlson | K | 2018 |
| Kenyan Drake | RB | 2021 |
| Denzelle Good | G | 2019* |
| Casey Hayward Jr. | CB | 2021 |
| Johnathan Hankins | DT | 2018 |
| Richie Incognito | G | 2019 |
| Quinton Jefferson | DT | 2021 |
| Nick Kwiatkoski | LB | 2020 |
| Cory Littleton | LB | 2020 |
| Marcus Mariota | QB | 2020 |
| Nick Martin | C | 2021 |
| Gerald McCoy | DT | 2021 |
| Carl Nassib | DE | 2020 |
| Yannick Ngakoue | DE | 2021 |
| Nathan Peterman | QB | 2018 |
| Darius Philon | DT | 2021 |
| Willie Snead IV | WR | 2021 |
| Roderic Teamer | S | 2021 |
| Solomon Thomas | DT | 2021 |
| Darren Waller | TE | 2018 |
*signed off waivers in 2018
The Raiders picked up a lot of big names in free agency this past offseason, including Kenyan Drake, Casey Hayward Jr., Gerald McCoy and Yannick Ngakoue. Most of the acquisitions were aimed at improving the defensive side of the ball, where the Raiders have struggled most in the past few seasons. Ngakoue is poised to help lead the D-line, while Hayward will anchor the DB room to get them familiar with the Gus Bradley defense he knows well.
Undrafted Free Agents (9 players)
| Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Bowers | TE | 2020 |
| AJ Cole | P | 2019 |
| Alec Ingold | FB | 2019 |
| Andre James | C | 2019 |
| Nicholas Morrow | LB | 2017 |
| Keisean Nixon | CB | 2019 |
| Jalen Richard | RB | 2016 |
| Trent Sieg | LS | 2018 |
| Javin White | LB | 2019 |
The Silver and Black haven't had an rookie undrafted free agent make the initial roster since 2019, when four UDFAs — all of whom are still on the team — ultimately made it on. Bowers is the newest addition to this group, after spending the entire 2020 season on the Raiders' practice squad and showcasing his potential throughout camp. The tight end made a case to earn his spot after a 16-yard touchdown in the last preseason game.
Take a look at the 53 players on the Silver and Black's current roster. (Last updated Tuesday, December 14)
S Johnathan Abram
RB Peyton Barber
T Jackson Barton
K Daniel Carlson
QB Derek Carr
P AJ Cole
LB Will Compton
DE Maxx Crosby
LB Divine Deablo
WR Bryan Edwards
OL Jermaine Eluemunor
CB Brandon Facyson
DE Clelin Ferrell
DT Johnathan Hankins
CB Casey Hayward Jr.
TE Daniel Helm
CB Nate Hobbs
WR DeSean Jackson
RB Josh Jacobs
C Andre James
DT Quinton Jefferson
WR Zay Jones
DE Malcolm Koonce
OL Alex Leatherwood
S Dallin Leavitt
LB Marquel Lee
LB Cory Littleton
QB Marcus Mariota
C Nick Martin
T Kolton Miller
S Tre'von Moehrig
TE Foster Moreau
CB Trayvon Mullen
DE Carl Nassib
DE Yannick Ngakoue
CB Keisean Nixon
LB Patrick Onwuasor
T Brandon Parker
LB Denzel Perryman
DT Darius Philon
WR Hunter Renfrow
RB Jalen Richard
CB Amik Robertson
LS Trent Sieg
G Jordan Simmons
G John Simpson
FB Sutton Smith
S Roderic Teamer
DT Solomon Thomas
CB Desmond Trufant
DL Kendal Vickers
TE Darren Waller
LB K.J. Wright
