Las Vegas Raiders: The Genesis of Desert Dominance

The Las Vegas Raiders have put together a multi-dimensional offense and young defense that may finally be a match for Kansas City.

Jon Gruden has managed to reshape the course of the Las Vegas Raiders franchise. Seemingly destined for unending mediocrity, a lucrative contract lured Gruden back into the black hole. A team comprising three essential pieces to a competitive roster (quarterback, wideout, edge) seemed to only flounder under past coaching. The franchise with an imminent identity change needed success fast with clear strides in the direction of a full schematic teardown and rebuild.

At the very beginning of his tenure in the black & silver, Gruden scrapped the roster for assets by trading Khalil Mack to Chicago and Amari Cooper to Dallas. These two potential cornerstones left big-contract quarterback Derek Carr to fend for himself while the draft picks accrued paid off in the near future.

Once those draft picks arrived, Gruden made sure to capitalize by ensuring he got the pieces that fit his schematics perfectly. To kickoff, Gruden made an aggressive move taking Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell number four in the 2019 NFL Draft. This move was considered to be outlandish by football pundits, but Gruden has his reasons. Ferrell is a balanced 4-3 edge who can stand his ground on the edge as well as he can pass rush. Although he is not going to change the face of a game like Mack, he provides the exact role Gruden desires.

Moving forward, Gruden continued his confident string of picks with running back Josh Jacobs at No. 24 overall. Jacobs was the next in line to graduate from the Crimson Tide school of power backs, but Jacobs didn’t enter the league with the same kind of reputation as some of those who had gone before him.

Jacobs came in at 5-foot-10, 220 pounds, and did not carry the same workload as other Alabama backs had in recent memory. This brought about concerns for a running back who’s seemingly sole purpose was to be a consistent workhorse designed to wear down a defense.

Upon arrival though, Jacobs inherited a top-half offensive line that has the full confidence of its head coach. Jacobs has received that same confidence and has only given reason to continue to believe. Jacobs rushed for 1,150 yards and 7 touchdowns in 13 games his rookie campaign and has already been established as the workhorse back of the NFL at 26 carries per game.

To round out the three first-round selections of the 2019 NFL draft for Oakland, Mississippi State safety Johnathan Abram brings a physical disposition to the Raiders secondary. A combine warrior who showed out as a modern prototype during his time in college, Gruden managed to bring in a defensive centerpiece reminiscent of Jamal Adams to lead his defensive backfield.

Other selections throughout days two and three of the 2019 NFL draft continued to meet areas of need for the Raiders, including Clemson products Trayvon Mullen and Hunter Renfrow. Renfrow found his niche in the offense instantaneously, inheriting slot snaps through the first weeks of the season. Defensive end Maxx Crosby has also panned out as a mid-round gem replicating Ferrell’s play on the opposite side of the line.

In their final season, the Oakland Raiders managed to post a 7-9 season, losing second to Denver on a tiebreaker. This organization has had the pieces in place to compete for a number of years, but have never managed to recapture the brilliance of their historical reputation.

Upon entering the 2020 offseason, the newly christened Las Vegas Raiders had cap room and draft assets to put a showman’s polish on the depth chart. Alternatively, Gruden opted to spend on multiple areas of need with a specific scheme fits rather than big contract targets.

Bears linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski is a cerebral tackler with the ability to manipulate angles to the ballcarrier favorably from snap to snap. Undersized inside linebacker Corey Littleton comes from Los Angeles to provide a rangy presence in the middle of the defense, looking to be the matchup solution to the growing problem of nightmarish tight ends and receiving backs.

The 2020 NFL Draft held the most potential for immediate rebranding though, as Gruden opted for a dash of the modern with speed demon Henry Ruggs III. A blazing 4.27 40-time at the NFL combine was described as ‘disappointing’ for the former Alabama wideout who was known to be capable of game-breaking plays on a snap-to-snap basis.

Unlike speedsters of drafts past, Ruggs managed to prove his value on short-yardage receptions that are crucial to the modern NFL offense. With hands being no issue, Ruggs is already a present danger to NFL defenses in a similar frame to Tyreek Hill and will have the opportunity to polish his route-running in the likeness of Antonio Brown or even Crimson Tide teammate and division rival Jerry Jeudy.

With the offensive side of the ball encompassing the four types of mismatches (power, size, speed, quickness) Gruden needs to continue to round out his defensive unit. At the 19th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, the plan continues to divert from the consensus and goes in the direction of Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette.

The top selection of cornerbacks in the draft class had already been taken ahead, and Las Vegas opted to still reach for a scheme fit cornerback. Arnette was another success of the Ohio State secondary that prides itself on physical man-to-man play (ex: Jeff Okudah).

The 2020 NFL Draft carried the previous theme of Gruden buying into Clemson football heavily, going on to select two more Clemson products in safety Tanner Muse and interior lineman John Simpson. Coaching staffs buying into trusted or successful college programs has panned out well in the past (ex: Belichick’s fondness of Rutgers defensive backs), and looking to bring in players with a winning mentality from such a prestigious program is a viable solution.

Through the first two weeks of the 2020 NFL season, Las Vegas has managed to down to coronary-deficient ‘cardiac cats’ in a close stunner on the road, as well as an impressive 10-point win on Monday night over the Los Angeles Clippers of the NFL to baptize their new $2 billion ‘death star.’ Mark Davis has a first truly competitive Raiders team in recent memory in Las Vegas, and has every opportunity to build a new brand to match their new identity: “Brash with Flash.”