Oakland Raiders: Top 20 Draft Picks In Franchise History

#16:  Phil Villapiano (45th overall, 1971)

If there was ever a player that best personified those great Raiders teams of the 1970s, it was linebacker Phil Villapiano.  The man was a renegade to the truest form.  He would gladly start or join a fight at the drop of hat, wore harden casts on his wrists to club ball carriers when he got his hands on them and didn’t mind skirting any other rule that got in his way.  Yet through all of that it was easy to miss how good of a player he was.

On a team loaded with stars, Villapiano was often the man who did the dirty work.  He made tackles, recovered fumbles and more often than not showed his versatility in coverage.  For his career the man had 13 interceptions including one to seal one of franchise’s great playoff wins in 1974 over the defending champion Miami Dolphins.  He deliver two sacks in the playoffs in 1976, helping the team to their first Super Bowl and crowned a great career with four Pro Bowl appearances.

Next: #15