Oakland Raiders: Young core will excite in 2015

By Nick Ziegler | Aug 30, 2015

There have been some dark days in the last three seasons for the Oakland Raiders, as they have totaled an 11-37 record in that span.

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The last time the Raiders have had a record above .500 in the regular season was in the 2002 season with Rich Gannon as their quarterback.

With constant losing records and high draft picks, the Raiders were figured to bounce back from so many awful seasons much quicker than they have. Besides being a laughing stock on the field, the Raiders have also been a laughing stock in the NFL Draft, until recently.

In the past two seasons, the Raiders have been drafting much better than their years of drafting players like JaMarcus Russell and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

The quarterback situation in Oakland has been a mess in their years of struggles, and in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Raiders believe they found their future in Derek Carr. Carr is the younger brother of former bust David Carr, but Derek showed a lot of promise in his rookie season.

In his rookie season, Carr totaled 21 passing touchdowns, 3,270 passing yards, and 12 interceptions in a very solid rookie season. Carr certainly looks like he has the potential to be the starting quarterback for a long time in Oakland, and the team is also surrounding him with some talented players.

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A little after midway through the season for the Raiders, a relatively unknown player emerged as a real weapon in the backfield. In the 2013 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected running back Latavius Murray in the sixth round. Murray wouldn’t have a carry in his rookie season, but when given the chance in 2014, he excelled.

In Week 10 against the San Diego Chargers, Murray totaled four carries, 43 rushing yards, three receptions, and 16 receiving yards. It didn’t seem like an overwhelming game for Murray, but it was the best of his career to that point and earned him some more playing time. In the Raiders’ Week 11 upset victory against the Kansas City Chiefs, Murray put the league on notice by totaling four carries, 112 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns.

Murray went on to finish the season totaling 424 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and an impressive 5.2 yards per carry average.

With a good young quarterback and a good young running back, the Raiders needed to add a good young receiver to complete a talented young trio. In the 2015 NFL Draft, the Raiders accomplished that by drafting wide receiver Amari Cooper from Alabama.

August 14, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper (89) runs with the football against the St. Louis Rams during the first quarter in a preseason NFL football game at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Cooper was a monster at Alabama in 2014, as he totaled 124 receptions, 1,727 receiving yards, and 16 receiving touchdowns. Those numbers in the SEC are very impressive, and Cooper was certainly deserving of being drafted fourth overall.

One of the problems for Carr last season was that he was lacking weapons, but now he will have a great young receiver to grow with Cooper.

There hasn’t been much to cheer for in many years for Raiders fans, but this new trio of Carr, Murray, and Cooper will excite a lot of fans in Oakland this season, as their future is looking bright.

Next: If..And..But for the Raiders in 2015

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