A lot of good options here
We’re onto the defense for the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders 2000s All-Quarter Century Team and starting with a strong position group for the Raiders, defensive end.
The Raiders have a long history of producing quality edge defenders. While the franchise’s top two sack leaders, Greg Townsend and Howie Long, won’t be included since they played in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the poll below consists of three players who are in the top 15 for sacks: Maxx Crosby (fifth), Khalil Mack (12th) and Derrick Burgess (14th).
For clarity, we’ll be doing two defensive end/edge defender polls, including this one. So, the two losers here will get a second chance to earn a spot on the All-Quarter Century Team.
Derrick Burgess
Photo by Robert B. Stanton/NFLPhotoLibrary
Raiders Stats: 38.5 sacks, 175 tackles, 39 TFLs, 6 FFs (56 games, 4 seasons)
Accolades: 2x Pro Bowler (2005-2006), Second-Team All-Pro (2005)
After battling injuries during the majority of his time with the Philadelphia Eagles, Burgess signed with the Raiders in 2005 and immediately made a significant impact. He led the league in sacks with 16 that year, which is also a single-season franchise record, and helped him earn the lone All-Pro bid of his career. Burgess followed that up with an 11-sack campaign to make back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances, and then had eight more sacks in ‘07. Additionally, he ranks sixth* in franchise history for TFLs. Unfortunately, the Raiders didn’t do much winning during the defensive end’s tenure, but he was one of the few bright spots for the club during the mid-to-late 2000s.
Khalil Mack
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Raiders Stats: 40.5 sacks, 304 tackles, 68 TFLs, 9 FFs (64 games, 4 seasons)
Accolades: 3x Pro Bowl (2015-2017), 2x First-Team All-Pro (2015, 2016), Defensive Player of the Year (2016)
The 2014 No. 5 overall pick will likely be a Hall of Famer, and his career got off to a hot start with the Raiders. Mack split time between lining up on the edge and at off-ball linebacker as a rookie, collecting just four sacks but 16 TFLs to finish in third place for the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. The following season, he exploded with 15 sacks and 23 TFLs while delivering a historic performance on the road against the Denver Broncos, where he tied a franchise record with five sacks in the game and almost single-handedly beat the eventual Super Bowl Champions. As a result, he became the first player in NFL history to be named a first-team All-Pro at two different positions in the same season. In 2016, Mack was an integral part of the team that ended the Raiders’ long playoff drought, recording 11 sacks, 14 TFLs, five forced fumbles and a pick-six to become the league’s DPOY. Additionally, he ranks second in franchise history for TFLs*, is tied for eighth in forced fumbles and is one of two Raiders to be named the NFL’s DPOY.
Maxx Crosby
Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images
Raiders Stats: 59.5 sacks, 366 tackles, 105 TFLs, 9 FFs (95 games, 6 seasons)
Accolades: 4x Pro Bowl (2021-2024), 2x Second-Team All-Pro (2021, 2023)
With a good portion of his career still in front of him, Crosby has a chance to be the best defensive player in franchise history when it’s all said and done. The 2019 fourth-round pick exceeded expectations as a rookie with a 10-sack campaign, finishing in second place for DROY. He’s had at least seven sacks in every season and has recorded double-digit TFLs every year, including ‘22 and ‘23, when he led the league in the metric with 22 and 23, respectively. On that note, he’s already the franchise leader in TFLs* and no one else is close, as he’s posted 37 more than Mack. While Crosby currently ranks fifth in sacks, he’ll move up to third place if he gets to the quarterback three times this upcoming season. Unfortunately, the Silver and Black have only made one playoff appearance during the Eastern Michigan product’s tenure. However, he’s still managed to gain respect as one of the best players at his position in the entire league over the last four years.
*TFLs didn’t become an official NFL statistic until 1999.
So, which defensive lineman are you going with for the first defensive end spot on the Raiders’ 2000s All-Quarter Century Team?
Vote in the poll below and sound off in the comments section with your reasoning. If you don’t have a commenting account already, you’ll need to create one but the steps are pretty easy and it’s a seamless process. Also, we have full-time moderators to enforce the Community Guidelines. Sign up and go to the comments section.