The Las Vegas Raiders have been disrespected throughout the offseason.
The quarterback room of Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew was named the weakest in the league.
Running back Zamir White was rated last on a list ranking all of the starting runnings backs in the NFL.
Linebacker Robert Spillane was left off a list of the Top 32 linebackers in the league, despite being analytically better than over half the list.
The Raiders seem to be consistently punished by the perception that they are the same team under Raiders general manager Tom Telesco and coach Antonio Pierce that they were before the two took the reins.
A new list from Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus credits the Raiders with having one of the best defensive lines in the league.
The Silver and Black is the ninth-best in the league for the unit, behind the first-place New York Jets and the top-heavy San Fransisco 49ers, followed by Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland, Dallas, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh.
“The Raiders are another team that found its superstar a while ago and has been slow to build around them,” Monson wrote.
“Maxx Crosby has been one of the best in football and now has help around him for the first time.
Christian Wilkins was the team’s big offseason addition (literally and figuratively), while edge rusher Malcolm Koonce was so impressive last season that he may insure against Tyree Wilson if he doesn’t develop in year two.
This is the most formidable Raiders defensive line in a while.”
