Raiders Countdown to Kickoff: 84: Who wore it best, who's wearing it now

Next up in our countdown is number 84. There were a few good Raiders to wear that number over the years, actually. But like the highlander, there can be only one (named the best to wear that number). After two weeks of defenders, we return to a receiver. But the best in this category predates even those defenders as one of the early Raider greats.

Who wore it best: WR Art Powell (1963-66)

The first great Raider receiver, he was an NFL receiver before the Raiders even existed, having entered the NFL with the Eagles in 1959. He joined the Raiders in 1963 and immediately made All AFL catching 73 passes for 1304 yards and 16 touchdowns. Powell was an AFL All Star all four seasons with the Raiders as Tom Flores' favorite target.

Amazingly, he topped his receiving numbers the following season with 1361 yards and added 11 touchdowns. In fact, he had double digit touchdowns in all four of his seasons n Silver & Black, going over 1000 yards three times. Ultimately, Powell became part of a package deal along with Flores to bring Daryle Lamonica to Oakland in 1967.

Who's wearing it now: No one

For the first time in this series this year there isn't a player wearing the jersey number being detailed. In this case we say...

Who wore it last: WR  Juron Criner

The first wide receiver the new regime drafted. They chose him in the fifth round of the 2012 draft and at the time, he seemed like a great value at that pick. He was a very good receiver in college at Arizona with terrific hands and body control. Criner was basically the anti-Al Davis pick, because his major issue was he was incredibly slow. Despite his obvious receiving talents, he just couldn't get open in the NFL.

Much like many draft picks, he was held onto longer than he should have been. Even while he was inactive for all but one game in the 2013 season, for some reason they just couldn't let him go. They finally kicked him out of the nest prior to last season. He appeared in a total of 13 games in his Raiders career with all of 19 catches for 183 yards (9.6 ypc) and 1 touchdown. With Miles Burris cut this offseason, Tony Bergstrom is the last remaining player on the Raiders from their 2012 draft class. He too should have been cut loose prior to last season, but somehow remains on the roster.

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