11 current Raiders players who are high-performing underdogs

It’s “Underdog Week” at SB Nation as part of our ongoing theme weeks.

With that in mind, let’s discuss the players on the Raiders’ 2020 roster who are underdogs for various reasons.

This large group is presented in alphabetical order:

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Trent Brown:
The 49ers drafted Brown in the seventh round in 2015. He was a part-time starter, but they gave up on him after three seasons, leading to a trade to New England ... where Brown won a Super Bowl ring as Tom Brady’s left tackle. Brown then cashed in on a four-year, $66 million deal with the Raiders in 2019, making him the highest paid lineman in the NFL at the time.

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Maxx Crosby:
A fourth-round pick out of small-school Eastern Michigan last year, Crosby was considered a project and a work-in-progress for the Raiders. Yet, he had 10 sacks and was runner-up as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2019.

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Maurice Hurst:
A lot of teams took Hurst off their draft board because of medical concerns. He fell to the fifth round of the 2018 draft but has been great for the Raiders. In Week 2 of his rookie season, Hurst recorded his first career sack against the Denver Broncos.

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Nick Kwiatkoski:
Kwiatkoski started eight games for the Chicago Bears last season as an injury replacement for Danny Trevathan. He played great and parlayed it into a three-year, $21 million deal with the Raiders this offseason.

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Cory Littleton:
He entered the NFL with the Rams as an undrafted free agent. He worked his way from a special teamer to a starter. Now, he is considered a complete linebacker and he is getting paid like it. The Raiders signed him to a three-year, $36 million deal in March 2020.

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Nicholas Morrow:
Morrow made the team as an undrafted free agent from a Division III school, which is pretty rare. He has stuck around the NFL since 2017.

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Hunter Renfrow:
Renfrew looks like your neighbor’s nephew, but don’t be fooled by the 24-year-old’s boyish looks. He went from a college walk-on to a Clemson legend and is now carving a niche as a third-down hero after being a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft.

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Jalen Richard:
This running back made the roster as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and earned a second contract. He is now a solid part of the Raiders’ offense.

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Amik Robertson:
The rookie cornerback had a chance to go to LSU, but a knee injury in high school ended that and he instead played for Louisiana Tech. Robertson missed the combine because of an injury this year and was drafted by the Raiders with the 139th pick. At just 5’8 and playing like he’s 6’3, Robertson acts like he’s an underdog every time he takes to the field.

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Darren Waller:
Having been suspended for the 2017 season for substance abuse issues, Waller was signed to the Raiders’ practice squad and has quickly developed into an upper-level tight end. He has since earned a new contract with the Raiders, averaging about $9 million a season. What a great underdog story.

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Tyrell Williams:
Williams went from an undrafted free agent with the Chargers to a starting receiver getting paid more than $10 million a season.