We’ve reached the quarter mark. That is to say we started at 99 and are now just a quarter left from the start of the Raiders 2017 regular season. Twenty five days. Man, it’s coming. DJ Hayden is now with the Lions, so this is who is wearing number 25 right now.
S Rickey Jefferson
Jefferson is an undrafted rookie out of LSU. He played in the shadow of sixth overall pick Jamal Adams during his career with the Tigers. This training camp, he has been somewhat just one of the safeties battling in obscurity, hoping to perhaps grab an extra spot as a special teams player.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Jefferson could find himself on the roster. With Keith McGill out for a while, the Raiders are sitting at just four sure things to make the roster -- Reggie Nelson, Karl Joseph, Obi Melifonwu, and Shalom Luani. Should they keep an extra safety for his special teams work, Jefferson has as good a shot as any of being that guy. If not, there is always the practice squad.
Who wore it best: WR Fred Biletnikoff (1965-78)
The man so legendary the award for college football's top wide receiver bears his name. The Raiders selected him in the second round of the 1965 draft and he spent his entire 14-year career in Oakland. In that span he was a 6-time Pro Bowler and 2-time All AFL performer.
His first Pro Bowl season came in 1967 in Daryle Lamonica's first year at quarterback in Oakland. That season the Raiders made it to Super Bowl II where they would lose to the Packers. The following year the Raiders would be in the Playoffs again and in two playoff games, Biletnikoff had 14 catches for 370 yards and 4 touchdowns.
In the famous "Sea of Hands" game against the Dolphins in 1974, Biletnikoff caught 8 passes for 122 yards. The second shot Freddy B would have at a Super Bowl title came in 1976 and this time the Raiders would seize it. He was named Super Bowl MVP and the Raiders took home their first Super Bowl title in franchise history.
Biletnikoff finished with 8974 receiving yards and 76 touchdowns which were both franchise records until some guy named Tim Brown came along and broke them. Biletnikoff was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988.
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