The Raiders have certainly had their fair share of draft misses over the last few years. Their 2020 first-round picks aren’t on the roster two years later, but for very different reasons.
Their No. 4 pick from the 2019 draft was a healthy scratch at times last season and they’ve picked players in the top-100 that never even took a snap with the team.
But what pick has been the worst since 2017? Where did the front office really mess up?
In a recent article by Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report, he named every team’s worst draft pick over the last five years. He went with Obi Melifonwu, who the Raiders selected in the second round. Here is a snippet of what he had to say about that selection:
“Obi Melifonwu put together an impressive showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, which raised his draft stock.
Melifonwu had an opportunity to team up with 2016 first-rounder Karl Joseph at safety with the then-Oakland Raiders, but he suffered significant injuries early in his career.
Before the 2017 season, Melifonwu underwent knee surgery, and the Raiders placed him on injured reserve. Active for five games in his first season, he started in one outing against the New England Patriots at cornerback and quarterback Tom Brady picked on him throughout the contest. In December 2017, he underwent hip surgery, ending his rookie campaign.”
Melifonwu was one of the best athletes to enter the NFL in some time, but he just didn’t have a natural position. On top of that, he struggled to stay healthy, as Moton mentioned. It’s certainly one of the bigger draft misses of recent memory for the Raiders.
