The Oakland Raiders have had their fair share of draft misses this decade. But one of the biggest “whiffs” by the franchise was the selection of Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain.
In a recent article by Barry Werner of the Touchdown Wire, McClain was named one of the worst first-round picks since the year 2010. Take a look at Werner’s brief thoughts on the No. 8 overall pick in the 2010 draft:
Suspensions were the main story — and headline — of the career of Rolando McClain, drafted eighth overall out of Alabama by Oakland in 2010.
McClain started 38 games for the Raiders, totaling 245 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. The Raiders eventually cut McClain in 2013 after being suspended for two games in 2012. He then sat out all of the 2013 season before being traded to the Cowboys.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, talent was never an issue for McClain. When he was on the field, he showed flashes of being a dominant linebacker. However, he just wasn’t able to stay on the field due to multiple drug suspensions.
If it weren’t for the substance abuse problems, McClain could have very well been one of the best linebackers in the entire league. Instead, he turned into one of the biggest draft busts for the Raiders this century.
