Who are the building blocks for the Las Vegas Raiders?

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The Raiders might not quite be a Super Bowl contender in the AFC, but they are set up well to have success for the next several seasons. On top of a bunch of cap space in the 2022 and 2023 offseasons, they have several good to great players at some of the most important positions that will allow them to stay competitive for the next several years.

But who exactly are their cornerstones and how many do they have? In a recent article by Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus, he named each team’s three best building blocks going into the future.

On Linsey’s list, he named Derek Carr, Darren Waller and Kolton Miller. Here is what he had to say about Waller and Miller entering the 2021 season:

“Waller is the lone high-end receiving threat at Carr’s disposal entering the 2021 season, coming off an elite 90.9 receiving grade last season.

The arrow appears to be pointing up for Miller at left tackle, as well. He has improved his grade in each of the past two seasons, ranking in the 70th percentile of offensive tackles in pass-blocking grade in 2020. That is all the way up from the seventh percentile as a rookie in 2018.”

All three players listed by Linsey certainly deserve to be mentioned, but the Raiders are hoping that players like Henry Ruggs, Maxx Crosby and Alex Leatherwood are soon mentioned in the same tier. But considering the Raiders already have a top quarterback and one of the best pass-catchers in football, it’s a great start.

If the Raiders can continue to add and improve the defense, this team could get a lot better very quickly. That’s just how it works with an elite quarterback inside a top-10 offense. Needless to say, the future is bright for the Raiders in Las Vegas.

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