AFC West Breakout Candidates 2015

Denver Broncos

Bradley Roby, CB: The rich get richer. Denver's talent at cornerback is already at an elite level with Chris Harris and Aqib Talib, and Bradley Roby will push them over the edge. Roby had a solid rookie season, but he has an incredibly high ceiling. He has the size, speed and ball skills of an elite cornerback, he just needs to work on consistency. He sometimes can get caught trying to make the big play and get burned, but if he works on that he could be great. He is in a very good position with Denver too, as they have a wicked pass rush with Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Shane Ray. The Broncos D can bring the heat, which provides more of an opportunity for their secondary to make plays. Roby will bring to light that the Broncos have a terrifying trio instead of a dynamic duo at cornerback. I'm predicting 4 interceptions for Roby and more consistent play too.

San Diego Chargers

Jason Verrett, CB: I'm not overly confident in this choice. Only because I don't know if Verrett has already broken out. Mighty Mouse is a star. I have a huge man crush on this guy, and I think he is going to be one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL for years to come. He has all the traits you would look for in a star cornerback except for size, but he plays way bigger than he is. I could go on and on about how awesome Verrett  is, but it's easier if you just watch some of his highlights. He's incredible. Between him and Flowers, the Chargers have a deadly duo at cornerback. I'm predicting 3 interceptions for Verrett, but more importantly I think he will end the year as a top 5 cornerback.

Oakland Raiders

Derek Carr, QB: There are usually two kinds of opinions on Derek Carr. The first is that he is a franchise QB and had a terrific rookie season. The second is he had a horrible rookie year and isn't a good quarterback. I fall somewhere in between these two views. I think he had a bad rookie season, but he showed me enough flashes of brilliance that I think he is a franchise QB going forward and will make a big leap in year 2. Carr is a very smart quarterback with a big arm, and I'm expecting him to jump to at least a league average QB next year. Drafting Amari Cooper was very smart by Raiders management, because Carr really lacked any explosive go to target, and now that he has just that in Cooper there is no telling what the two can do. Oakland also has hope in the backfield with Latavius Murray, and if he is even serviceable then that will go a long way in helping ease some pressure off of Carr. I'm predicting 3,800 yards for Carr, with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Kansas City Chiefs

Travis Kelce, TE: The only things that previously stood in Kelce's way to break out earlier is health and playing time. Health is always a risk for every player, but the lack of playing time should not be a problem anymore. Kelce is an absolute animal on the field, which led to his nickname being Mini-Gronk, and it is almost criminal that it has taken KC this long to realize they should play him more. Kansas City does run a conservative offense, but along with Maclin and Charles, they only have three real receiving threats so he should be due for a lot of targets. I don't have much negative to say about Kelce. Talent wise I think he is a top 3 TE in the NFL (behind Gronk and Graham) and if KC uses him well then he will put the NFL on notice early. I'm predicting 950 yards and 10 touchdowns for this behemoth.

The "Short" NFL Player Dilemma

This article was supposed to be a small description of the Chargers cornerbacks in their Offseason Outlook article. I started writing it, and I got very invested because it is actually an amazing situation when you really think about it. What's amazing is that the Chargers two best cornerbacks are both only 5'9. Maybe I'm the only one who is shocked by that, but I could say that a thousand times and it would still surprise me. In today's NFL, receivers are getting bigger and bigger, and because of that, some teams just draw the line in the sand at cornerback and only want them to be 6 feet tall or they won't draft them. Theoretically, I can understand that because 5'9 seems almost tiny going up against 6'5, 230 lb wide receivers. Yet these two cornerbacks, who again are both only 5'9, are making it their personal vendetta to make any team that passed over them because of their height pay. To go on a brief tangent here, Kevin White (6'3, 215 lbs) has gone on record saying that Jason Verrett is the toughest cornerback he has ever faced. Granted he hasn't played a down in the NFL, but he did face some tough CB's in college; and the reason why he said that, is because it is completely true. Verrett makes every WR he faces make them earn whatever yards they get off of him. It starts at the line, he may only be 5'9, but he plays like he is 6'5. He has terrific explosiveness right from the snap, and he has incredible footwork and anticipation to mirror the receiver and not give up an inch of ground. Verrett was passed on by the Browns who drafted Justin Gilbert ahead of him, then the Bears that drafted Kyle Fuller ahead of him, then the Bengals that drafted Darqueze Dennard ahead of him. The reason he was drafted behind those players is not because of talent, but because of his size. In his scouting report on NFL.com, the first thing Mike Mayock says in his weaknesses section is that he does not look the part. The rest of his "weaknesses" are just other ways of saying he's short. Mayock gave him a 2nd round grade. This has absolutely nothing to do with Mike Mayock either, obviously he can miss on certain players just like everybody, and if he gave him a 2nd round grade then he gave him a 2nd round grade there is nothing more to it. I understand the stigma in the NFL about small players. Sometimes they don't work out. Especially at cornerback, almost every NFL team wants big tall cornerbacks like Richard Sherman. The reason why I'm turning this into it's own article is because NFL teams need to wake up. I actually have no problem with putting height or size as a weakness or strength when scouting NFL players. A lot of the times it can be useful scouting scheme fit and all. Except when NFL teams completely take a young, talented player off of their board because of it. Drawing an arbitrary line in the sand and as a franchise saying you won't draft players under a certain height can cripple your franchise. Your team could miss out on the next Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, or Jason Verrett just because they were too short to play professional football. That was also the biggest knock on Wilson too right? He was too short, how could he even see over an NFL offensive line. Well personally I think that hasn't been too big of a problem for him on his way to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances after only 3 years in the league. Maybe this frustrates me because I'm 5'9 and am waiting for my shot in next years NFL draft, and that's why I need an entire article to complain about this completely arbitrary (I know I have said it is arbitrary a lot but it truly is) line that prevents players under a certain height at a specific position being drafted. Or maybe I see something wrong with the way certain teams are scouting players and I want my voice to be heard. Whatever the reason is, the Chargers are going to reap the rewards this season if/when Jason Verrett proves that he can stay healthy so Verrett and Flowers can be a dominating duo.

Offseason Outlook 2015: Kansas City Chiefs

Offense

Do the Chiefs have a franchise QB in Alex Smith? No idea. He's pretty good though, and Kansas City has put him in a position offensively that limits mistakes and works well for his style of play. This year marks the first year under Alex Smith's tenure as the Chiefs QB that he has offensive weapons not named Jamaal Charles. The Chiefs gave Jeremy Maclin a 5 year/$55 million deal this offseason to come in and be their number one guy. Fact: All of the Chiefs WR's last year combined to catch 0 touchdown passes. The Chiefs know their WR's were not good last year, and they needed to change the dynamic at the position, ergo Jeremy Maclin. They also released Dwayne Bowe, and even though he was playing uninspired last year, he is still a good WR so they needed to fill the void even more. I'm taking a bit of a shot in the dark here, but I also think De'Anthony Thomas' role as a receiver will increase this season. I know he was drafted as mainly a returner and a gadget player, but he has ridiculous speed and I think he could be used more often this season. Another player to keep an eye on for Kansas City is Jason Avant who wasn't that bad last year in a brief stint with the Chiefs and he might be even better with Jeremy Maclin as the first receiver. The Chiefs are still clearly thin at the receiver position though, but they have other threats on offense too. Travis Kelce at tight end, is basically mini Gronk. I'm sure he's not a fan of that nickname, because he will eventually carve out his own legacy whatever that may be, but he plays with that same intensity. There will be plays where he will be impossible to take down. I honestly mean that, this guy gets hit and he shakes it off like it was a bug that flew into him. He is a monster, and if he stays fully healthy, expect big things from him even out of the conservative Kansas City offense. In the backfield, the Chiefs have Jamaal Charles. Most people know how good he is, so I'm not going to dive into too much detail here, but yeah he's really, really good. Knile Davis backs up Charles, and he is a curious case because he had a rough year last year, but was great in limited action the year before. He's still very young (only 23), and I think he can be a solid backup for Charles this season. The Chiefs offensive line is... Rough. The Chiefs only spent one pick on it in this draft, when they have holes all across it. They picked Mitch Morse, who will slot in at center to replace their one good O-lineman Rodney Hudson who got signed by Oakland. On the left side they have Eric Fisher at tackle, who has struggled mightily ever since he was drafted first overall, and they traded for Ben Grubbs who was solid last year, but he's getting older and is a bit of a question mark himself. On the right side the Chiefs have Jeff Allen and Donald Stephenson respectively, and they were both below average starters last season and haven't shown anything to make me think they will turn it around. The silver lining for this team having a weak O-line is they know how to minimize mistakes. The conservative offense they run gets the ball out of Alex Smith's hand very quickly and tries to get their speed players (Charles, Thomas) in space. They run a lot of slants and get their WR's blocking well, which plays to their strengths in the long run. They were surprisingly a decent offense when it came to points scored per game last year, and they should have no trouble repeating what they did last year based on the upgrade from Bowe to Maclin and another year of development out of Kelce.

Defense

This is one scary defense on paper. On the D-line, they have a star in Dontari Poe, who consistently is in the backfield being as disruptive as any other nose tackle in the league. They also have Mike Devito to put on one side of him, and he is a very underrated player. He has a motor that never turns off, and I think is a key player for this elite defense. Opposite Devito, the Chiefs have options. Allen Bailey was solid last year, but they also have Mike Catapano and Jaye Howard who both could be good options too. Whoever they end up choosing, there is depth at the end positions for KC. At linebacker, the Chiefs have some serious talent. In the middle they have a star in Derrick Johnson. Who they pair up with him is the real question because they run a 3-4 defense. James-Michael Johnson was okay last year, but they drafted Ramik Wilson in the 4th round this year and he could help them a lot against the run. Then at outside linebacker, the Cheifs have a couple okay players I guess... They have this guy Justin Houston who had 22 sacks last year, and this other guy Tamba Hali who is consistently at the top of QB pressure leaderboards and has almost 80 career sacks. Oh and they have last years first round pick Dee Ford too. The craziest thing about this defense is that their secondary is shaping up to be one of the best in the league. Sean Smith, who has been terrorized in his career for having bad hands and dropping interceptions, was great last year as the Chiefs number one cornerback. They also drafted Marcus Peters, who I thought was the steal of round one, and he has all the tools to be a star in this league. If his off field issues are completely in his past, then he will put the NFL on notice quickly because he has everything you look for in a cornerback. He has straight line speed to keep up with receivers, fluid hips, he is very physical in press coverage, and he has terrific ball skills too. Call me out if I'm wrong, but this kid is a star in the making if he gets past his off field troubles. At safety the Chiefs resigned Ron Parker, which was a solid signing because he is a good safety. They also have Eric Berry who is a star, but due to being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma nobody knows what his future in football entails, we just wish him the best and hope for a speedy recovery. The Chiefs have Husain Abdullah to play beside Parker, and he is also a very solid option at safety. In the slot, Phillip Gaines will most likely be the man, and he also had a decent season last year and should get even better. This defense won't get as much press as the Seahawks D, but maybe it should. It was the second best defense last year, and frankly it looks even better this year. The mix of established stars and young talent implies that this defense can continue to grow, and continue to win Kansas City games.

This is a good looking Chiefs team. I predict them to be competing for a wild card spot just like last year, but just because I'm calling a similar finish doesn't mean that this team didn't get better. The questions on offense prevent me from being all in on KC, but this defense is no laughing matter. I think that this team has a chance to be good for a long time too, as they have a lot of game changers on defense that are really young, and they appear to be drafting pretty well (at least in my opinion). They franchise tagged Justin Houston, so his status is up in the air after next season, but he could easily be going for the sack record again this year so let's just take his contract details in stride. Andy Reid has put together a good ball club with John Dorsey their GM, and with the raw talent they have on this roster, I could easily see them in the playoffs next season and maybe even winning a playoff game or two.

Offseason Outlook 2015: Denver Broncos

Offense

Any offense with Peyton Manning will be a top offense in the NFL. That is just a fact. Manning is one of the best quarterbacks of all time, and even at his age he still plays at an extremely high level. The people that say Manning is done after a rough December are completely crazy, he was playing hurt and throughout the year he still played at a very high level. Critics of Manning consistently talk about his arm strength. Everybody knows that Peyton throws ducks out there, that hasn't prevented him from torching a defense, because he is the smartest QB possibly in NFL history. The Broncos are a curious case at running back. C.J. Anderson was actually incredible in his time as the starter last season. The issue is, his career at RB is such a small sample size, there is no sure fire bet that the Broncos are getting that same player. They also have Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman as depth, but none of these backs have shown me enough that they can be the guy next year. Also, any running back in a Manning offense benefits greatly from having Peyton as the QB too, which can skew the numbers. I'm a little bit hesitant because of this to already anoint this as a great ground game, but the talent is there. At wide receiver, the Broncos offense should feel very confident about the players they have. Demaryius Thomas is a top 5 wideout in the NFL, and Emmanuel Sanders flourished in this passing game last year. I'm also predicting Cody Latimer to have a breakout year this year. He struggled to get on the field last year, but this year there are targets to give after the loss of Julius Thomas and Wes Welker. He's also a talented player and if he can build up Peyton's trust early then he should have no trouble in playing a big role for this offense. At tight end, the talent took a big hit this year. Not only did the Broncos lose Julius Thomas in free agency to the Jaguars, but they also lost the recently drafted Jeff Heuerman for the year. He may not have started immediately for them, but he was definitely the most talented TE on the roster, so it was a big blow. Owen Daniels will be a solid starter though as he consistently excels under Gary Kubiak's offenses. The offensive line struggled last year, and this year doesn't look much better. Ryan Clady was good last year, but he used to be an elite left tackle before he got hurt, so there is a possibility of him regaining that form this year. To go along with him, Louis Vasquez is a great right guard. Apart from those two, there are holes among the O-line. Chris Clark was average last year, but he was very consistent and there were some bad stretches. They lost Orlando Franklin and Manny Ramirez, so there will be position battles over center and left guard, but whoever the starters may be are unreliable at this point. Ty Sambrailo should help with Tackle depth, but he doesn't figure to have a huge immediate impact as both starting tackle positions seem to be locked up. The O-line may struggle, but this offense will keep churning out points like it's nothing. I can't stress this enough, Peyton Manning is one of the smartest players in all of sports, and he knows how to utilize his players strengths, and how to pick apart a defense. He will also help his O-line as he is one of the best at getting the ball out of his hands quickly. A top 5 finish on offense is almost a guarantee at this point, and nothing that happened in the offseason changes that.

Defense

I can't believe that this defense wasn't a top 10 overall defense, let alone top 5. The talent all across the board is crazy! On the defensive line, they are only okay. Derek Wolfe, Sylvester Williams, and Malik Jackson are all young players who struggled at times last season, but they have talent and can be solid starters this year. Their linebacker group is ridiculous. Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall (no not the WR for the Jets now) are two young players that were very good last year and could get even better (although Trevathan was injured last year, he was really good in 2013). On the edge, the Broncos have Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, and Shane Ray. It's almost unfair how good that group of edge rushers is. Von Miller is elite, and DeMarcus Ware is still playing at a very high level even though he's getting older. On top of those two players, the Broncos drafted Shane Ray in the first round this past year who was one of the best pass rushers in the entire draft. He fell due to some injury and character concerns, but he has a lightning quick first step, is an extremely explosive athlete, uses his hands very well when rushing the passer, and is very strong for his size. I understand that this is a pick for the future, but he could contribute right away with his talent. In addition to the linebackers, this is an extremely talented secondary unit as well. Chris Harris is the most underrated cornerback in all of football, and he played at an elite level last year. Aqib Talib is another great CB to pair with Harris, and they also have Bradley Roby who had a solid first year and should take a big jump this coming year. At safety they have the very talented T.J. Ward, and he played a big role for them last year and should continue to be a big presence on their defense. They will most likely pair him with Darian Stewart, who is an average starter at best. If Roby takes the jump that many people expect, including myself, then the Broncos could have three top tier cornerbacks to pair with their elite pass rushers. Just based off of that, this defense has the talent to be the number one defense in the NFL. Those expectations may be a little too high, but the talent is clearly there. Under a new coaching staff, I could see how there would be a transition period for the Broncos D. Yet last year, they seemed to be uninspired by former defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, so I predict a top 10 finish for their defense this year.

This is still a deadly Broncos team. Everybody is going to talk about the Patriots, Seahawks or even the Packers as the best team in the NFL right now. Don't get me wrong, those three teams have a legitimate claim to fame for that title, but the Broncos are not far behind them. The Broncos offense is going to be elite once again as long as Peyton Manning is healthy, and their defense on paper at least, looks extremely threatening. This is a team that has struggled in the playoffs, so I can understand feeling wary to say a Super Bowl berth is on its way, but let's not pretend that it is out of the question either. The Broncos may have gotten even better, and if Manning stays completely healthy and plays like he did at the beginning of last year, then they could be Super Bowl bound.

Offseason Outlook 2015: San Diego Chargers

Offense

It might be a little weird but the biggest question I have about the Chargers offense right now is will Phillip Rivers be their quarterback after next season. Since this is a 2015 outlook, I'll keep myself from talking about that until the time comes. Speaking of Phillip Rivers, he really doesn't get enough credit. Maybe he isn't an elite QB, but he's not far off from that Brady and Rodgers level of play either. The Chargers offense relies on him to perform at a very high level, and he always seems to come through. He does have some good weapons though. Keenan Allen has been a very good wide receiver ever since he was drafted, and hopefully he can take the step forward that many were expecting him to take last year. They also have Malcolm Floyd who I believe was one of the most underrated wide receivers in football last season. He didn't dominate by any means, but he was very consistent and in fact put up the best numbers for a WR on their team last year. They also signed Stevie Johnson who could be a very good 3rd WR for Rivers. At tight end, they have one of the best TE's of all time in Antonio Gates (who by the way caught 12 touchdown passes last year. 12! I just looked it up and am still in awe over it), and a young, high-ceiling TE in Ladarius Green. I don't know if this will FINALLY be the year that Ladarius Green will get an increased role, but even if he doesn't flourish with it, I still am curious as to what he would do with more snaps. He is an absolute behemoth of a TE and at 6'6 and 240 lbs, and being a crazy athletic human being, I just want to see him make a few jaw dropping plays even if he isn't all that consistent. The running back situation looks substantially better for San Diego this year. Melvin Gordon (The 15th pick in this years draft) has a real chance to be a special running back in this league. I think that because of Todd Gurley, Gordon didn't receive as much attention as he deserved, but he's a difference maker in the backfield and he will force defenses to game plan for him as well as Rivers. Apart from Gordon, they have some depth in the Darren Sproles like Brandon Oliver, Danny Woodhead, and Donald Brown. Even though I'm surprised the Chargers didn't focus more on the offensive line in the draft, it should still be better than last year as signing Orlando Franklin was a solid move by San Diego's FO. Orlando Franklin will probably play at left guard, and along with King Dunlap, they will make a formidable left side (not to mention massive, Franklin is 6'7, 320 lbs, and Dunlap is 6'9, 330 lbs!). Dunlap continues to surprise people at left tackle as he has been a good blindside protector for Rivers. Chris Watt had a nice first year at center after Nick Hardwick retired, and if he can stay healthy then hopefully he can take another developmental step forward. At right guard there are serious question marks, but D.J. Fluker should be in for a bounce back year at right tackle. This offense surprised me though. Now I will confess, I didn't watch a lot of Chargers games live last year, but even without Melvin Gordon, I would have expected this to be around the top 10 in points per game last year, but they were in the bottom half of the league. Now that they should have a solid run game, I'm predicting a big year for Rivers (also contract year!) and this offense as a whole. A top 10 finish seems almost overdue.

Defense

This is an interesting defense to say the least, and I will get more into that near the end, but let's start with the defensive line. I'm a big fan of Corey Liuget. He had a solid season last year, but I'm expecting him to make a big jump and be a huge difference maker for this D. Kendall Reyes had a bad year last year, I am well aware of that, but I weirdly still believe in him. I'm not saying he's going to be a superstar, but I also don't think he will be a liability in any means this year. They also have Sean Lissemore at nose tackle, who might be a little below average, but he's a passable NT. The Chargers have a group of linebackers that has gone through an extreme makeover over the last couple of years. Melvin Ingram has bounced back after a slow start to his career to become a productive pass rusher for them. They also have a young trio of inside linebackers in Donald Butler, Manti Te'o, and Denzel Perryman. All three of these players can be solid ILB's for the Chargers for a long time, but Donald Butler has struggled to stay healthy in his career so I'm assuming that is why they drafted Perryman. Their second round pick from 2014, Jerry Attaochu, also has very high potential and could end up being a great pass rusher, but he played in very few snaps last year for San Diego so it is tough to predict how he will fare this season. This is a very young and talented group of linebackers, and if all goes right, they could all be elite players; but this is the NFL, and very rarely does all go right so I guess we'll see what happens with them next year. My opinion is that I do think at least one of these linebackers will break out in a big way next year. On to a very interesting NFL position group, the Chargers secondary. Let's get out of the way what we know. Eric Weddle is an elite safety, that is a fact. He is extremely good at what he does, and has been incredibly consistent throughout his career, so I would expect another big year out of him. Their other safety, Jahleel Addae, was actually pretty good last year too. He clearly benefitted from playing alongside Weddle, but he had a surprisingly strong year. On to what we don't know. The Chargers cornerback duo might be the best in the NFL next year. I'm going to say that again slowly, because it does sound ridiculous. The. Chargers. Cornerback. Duo. Might. Be. The. Best. In. The. NFL. Next. Year. Let me explain myself first, then feel free to mock. Brandon Flowers, who is their number one CB going into next year, had himself a terrific year last year. He wasn't the best CB in the NFL, but being in his first year with the Chargers and on a new defense, he graded out as a top tier number one cornerback. Brandon Flowers partner in crime, Jason Verrett, is my favourite player not enough people are talking about going into the season. He only played in parts of 6 games last year, but if he is healthy, he has the talent to instantly become one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. I could riddle off a bunch of stats in college and his small NFL sample size about how amazing he is, but you can easily Google that so I'm not going to bother. All I'm going to say is watch some of his tape, watch his hips, watch him mirror certain wide receivers at the line, and after you do all of that jump on the bandwagon with me. Overall, this Chargers defense should be better next year. A healthy year out of Verrett would be huge, and if their linebackers start to reach some of their potential, then the rest of the NFL should take notice. I wouldn't be shocked to see a top 10 finish on defense, and considering they were 13th last year, it would shock me if they weren't in the top 10.

The Chargers are making the playoffs this coming year. It's not that bold of a prediction, and if they don't I will own up to being completely wrong, but I think they have a CHANCE to snake the division away from the Broncos. Phillip Rivers has a real run game for the first time since LaDainian Tomlinson, and I'm sure he intends to make the most of it. The Chargers should also get more from their defense in what should be a defining season for a San Diego team that may or may not have Phillip Rivers as their quarterback going into the 2016 season.

Offseason Outlook 2015: Oakland Raiders

Offense

After the 2013 NFL season, there was very little that someone could say about the Oakland Raiders offense that was positive. They were in a tough situation, so they drafted Derek Carr in the second round. I'm not going to just preach about how Derek Carr is a saviour at QB and he is perfect, because he isn't. In fact, he struggled quite a bit in his rookie year. Even still, he passed the eye test, and a lot of people believe he can be a franchise quarterback, including the Oakland Raiders front office. In today's NFL, finding a franchise QB is one of the hardest things to do, so if in fact Carr is one, then the Raiders can feel good about their future. Speaking of future, the Raiders may have the best QB-WR combo over the next decade. Drafting Amari Cooper was a great pick, and it gives Derek Carr a go-to-guy, something he desperately needed last year. They also signed Michael Crabtree, and he can be a solid second option for Carr. Their other weapons consist of Kenbrell Thompkins, Rod Streater, and a few young UDFA WR's. At tight end, the Raiders have Mychal Rivera and the recently drafted Clive Walford. Walford may take over as the number one TE quickly because he is a very reliable blocker and that can be a big help to Derek Carr as there are some questions on the O-line. Speaking of the O-line, the left side was surprisingly productive last year. Donald Penn had a nice bounce back season at left tackle, and Gabe Jackson is a good, young left guard. At center the Raiders struggled last year, so they went out at signed Rodney Hudson who was one of the leagues best centers for Kansas City last year. On the right side the Raiders have some question marks. Austin Howard was okay at right tackle last year, but he didn't live up to his 5/$30 million contract he signed last offseason. Khalif Barnes struggled at right guard last year and he looks to be slotted in there again this year. So while the left side looks solid, Oakland will need some better play out of Howard and Barnes to really help give Carr some time in the pocket. In the backfield, the Raiders believe they have a blossoming star in Latavius Murray. In watching his limited snaps last season, I would have to agree with them. This guy looks so smooth, and if you have time, watch his 90 yard TD run against Kansas City last year. The run was a misdirection and all he did was cut once inside and then he blew by the rest of the defense. I'm not saying he's going to be a star because of that one run, but he has the overall talent to be a very good running back next year if he stays healthy. They also have Trent Richardson... So take that how you will... No matter what production he gives them if any, they signed another good running back in Roy Helu, who in limited snaps last year was very productive with Washington. This offense should be expected to improve drastically solely based on the addition of Amari Cooper, but there is quite a bit to like outside of him and Carr. Even though they lack any sort of star power on offense, they have a lot of quality players and very few, if any, glaring weaknesses. This offense won't blow anybody away this year, but expect them to be significantly better than second last in points scored per game in the NFL, which they were last year.

Defense

The Raiders had the worst defense in the NFL last year, allowing 28.2 points per game. So at least there is nowhere to go but up! On the D-line, they drafted Mario Edwards in the second round. If he plays like he did in 2013, the Raiders have a star player on there hands. They also signed Dan Williams who was a very good nose tackle with Arizona last year, and should play a big role in stopping the run for them. Justin Ellis will most likely play inside next to Williams, and he had a solid year last year too. Justin Tuck rounds out the defensive line, and he was another pleasant surprise for them last year, so hopefully he can repeat his production in a contract year with the Raiders. A solid defensive line is followed by a young, yet very talented group of linebackers. It is led by Khalil Mack, who right out of the gate was a superstar for Oakland last year. They also have Sio Moore playing weak side linebacker, and I might be a lot higher on him then most, but I think he is primed for a huge year opposite Mack. The Raiders also signed Curtis Lofton, and he should be a big upgrade over Dannell Ellerbe between the two young linebackers. The real issues that this defense will have are in the secondary. Charles Woodson continues to defy Father Time at free safety, so I'm in no way going to bet against him, but the Raiders did overpay for Nate Allen to pair with Woodson. Allen at best can be an average safety, but he gets burned quite a bit and can be very inconsistent. At cornerback, D.J. Hayden and Keith McGill will be starting at left and right cornerback respectively, with T.J. Carrie in the slot. This is a very young group of corners, and they are all fairly unreliable too. D.J. Hayden has a high ceiling at cornerback, but unfortunately he has struggled to stay healthy. It's true that overall this defense does look better, and they have a few young players who could develop into very good NFL players, but the lack of depth and current stars on defense draws enough concern that I doubt they will be overly competitive with good offenses.

I might be lower on the Raiders than most, but I can't deny that the future is bright. The new coaching staff should bring some life to the roster too, and even though I don't love Jack Del Rio as the head coach, I don't think it was an awful get, and I think he's a better fit than Dennis Allen. Immediately next year, not much should be expected. An improvement to 5 wins for next year seems like what to expect, but if the coaching staff has these players playing hard, then they will be a tough opponent week after week.Also, Derek Carr, Amari Cooper (even though he hasn't played a snap yet), and Khalil Mack are all stars in the making, and if the Raiders continue to build around that core then they will be the premier Bay Area team in no time.