Post-NFL Draft Power Rankings: Where are the Raiders?

In our first power rankings for the 2023 season, we give your post-NFL Draft look ahead to the regular season and find out where the Las Vegas Raiders are.

HENDERSON, Nev.--It is only Mid-May, and the regular season is nearly four months away. But who cares now that football is a year-round sport? So with my way-to-early power rankings, I tell you how after the NFL Draft, I rate each team:

THE CONTENDERS

1. Kansas City Chiefs Ric Flair, the WWE Super Star, says it best: “To be the man, you have to beat the man.” The Chiefs are a dominant force, and when you think they have turned downward, they fool you. Is this the year they get unseated?

2. Philadelphia Eagles. I would have had them as my No. 1 team, but one thing keeps that from happening -- they lost the Super Bowl. Loaded everywhere, and if I had to predict today, we would see a repeat of the last Super Bowl.

3. Cincinnati Bengals This team is tough, scrappy, and always seems to hang around. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if they made the Super Bowl. Not without blemish, but certainly able to overcome any blemish.

4. Buffalo Bills A true contender, but not the Chiefs or the Eagles. I like this team, and I like Josh Allen. They are legit contenders but have to make the next step.

5. Baltimore Ravens, for the first time in his career, Lamar Jackson has a full complement of weapons around him. This team is for real, and now Jackson has to prove that he knows what to do and how to do what he needs to do with those weapons.

6. San Francisco The quarterback situation is ridiculous. They are legit contenders if they stop the Trey Lance experiment and stick to Brock Purdy. They have all the tools, minus the stability at quarterback.

GOOD, BUT NOT GREAT…

7. Dallas Cowboys This team is its own worst enemy. There is no excuse for their talent to have performed how they have. I understand people hate the Cowboys like they do the Raiders, but this team is legit.

8. N.Y. Jets. This team has a good defense, an excellent coach, and staff, but they mortgaged everything for a classic prima donna, a guy who isn’t a great teammate. I am sorry, the Jets have everything to rank higher, but Aaron Rodgers is a detractor.

SO YOU’RE SAYING THERE'S A CHANCE

9. N.Y. Giants, the G-men are not flashy, sexy, or even shiny, but you saw in one year what a difference a coach makes. They have a chance, but are not yet in the upper tier, but they are coming.

10. Seattle Seahawks are a team that has my attention. They are improving, loaded, and like or hate Pete Carroll, he is an elite motivator and coach.

11. Jacksonville Jaguars are the perennial also-rans of the National Football League but don’t underestimate them. They are one offensive tackle away from being higher and think they found him in the NFL Draft. Trevor Lawrence has his haters outside of the NFL, but he is respected and admired in it.

12. Detroit Lions are what we think they are. In the interest of full disclosure, just when you think they have it figured out, they do Lions things again. Trying to out-think others, they trip on themselves.

13. L.A. Chargers are a team that should be higher. They are a terrific young team with a coach who finds ways to cost them one or two games every year. You can’t be higher on this list with a chance to be a contender with a coach that costs you. Get them a better coach, and they will be higher on this list. The only team with the worst head coach in 2022 was the Denver Broncos, and they fixed that.

14. Miami Dolphins are a team I want to believe in and like. Until Tua shows me he can be healthy (younger Jimmy Garoppolo), I can’t move them any higher.

15. Minnesota Vikings have an elite offense, with a defense so bad that if they were arrested for being an NFL defense, there would not be evidence to convict them.

16. New England Patriots are trending down. The defense is bad (sacrilegious to say of a Bill Belichick team), the offense has many tools, and finally, a real offensive coordinator in Bill O’Brien. Never bet against Belichick, but it feels like an end of an era.

17. New Orleans Saints got better with Derek Carr. The defense has added some players, but while I expect more points, I believe Derek will find himself in another city with the same problems and no defense.

18. Las Vegas Raiders are a team that is improving. I predicted nine wins and missed the playoffs. They can do it if Jimmy Garoppolo stays healthy, and while everyone loves Jimmy, this isn’t a popularity contest. Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler gambled big on Jimmy; now he has to reward them.

19. Pittsburgh Steelers are fascinating. It almost feels like we are pulling on Superman’s cape, putting Mike Tomlin here. We know he will make me look stupid, but we must see it. I think 9-8, but I never bet against Tomlin.

20. Tennessee Titans are a team that I expected, much to my son Shane’s angst, to be lower. They have a terrific coach, the best running back (when healthy) in the NFL, and a strong team. Talking to people around the NFL, I wouldn’t be shocked if Will Levis takes command early, but still, plenty of warts.

NOT SEEING IT

21. Denver Broncos have many more weapons and ammunition than people think. I like Russell Wilson a ton as a person and for the quarterback he used to be. Sean Payton is undoubtedly a major upgrade, and he will only ask Wilson to do what he can. Unfortunately, what Wilson can’t do is lead this team to the Super Bowl. Put him on the 49ers and he could. With this team, offensively, he will have to do too much. While I respect and think Sean Payton is a great coach, I don’t think he is the Hall of Famer Bill Parcells type that others do. Get this team to the playoffs, and I see him skyrocketing from great to elite. 

22. Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is the most overrated player in his position in the NFL. This has nothing to do with his off-field issues, either. I don’t believe in him, and to be a real contender, you have to believe in your quarterback. Likable, I am not certain, at all, that his teammates have bought into him.

23. Green Bay Packers made a great move for the long-term health of their franchise by unloading Aaron Rodgers. Who knows if Jordan Love is the real deal, but we know they have amassed many weapons for whoever leads them long-term.

I’M SAYING NOT EVEN A CHANCE

24. Carolina Panthers are a team on the rise. They are two seasons away from being what they can be, but they have the coaching and the foundation of something special, just not in 2023.

25. Atlanta Falcons are a team still trying to be relevant—emphasis on trying.

26. Indianapolis Colts have a terrible defense with a good defensive coordinator. Sadly for Gus Bradley, you don’t look great without good players like many other great coaches. Not sold at all on Anthony Richardson, and to me, this team has no chance.

27. L.A. Rams are paying the Piper like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their Lombardi Trophy, but unlike the Bucs, their tank isn't as empty.

28. Chicago Bears have a terrific general manager and a team finally getting things done and progressing. They aren't contenders yet, but they will have some surprises in 2023 and are on the rise.

29. Washington Commanders are a team that … never mind. They aren’t going anywhere. They have some nice weapons, a ton of holes, and a franchise in flux waiting for the owner to get flushed. That entire place is bathing in a bath of confusion. That place has issues if everything rises and falls on leadership, and I think it does. Just start at the owner's box.

30. Houston Texans are a team on the rise. They aren’t contenders, but do not sell them short. Young, this team will keep score, as they can pay some people back when they start rising.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers are paying for winning a Super Bowl. No complaints from the Pirate Ship; it was worth it.

32. Arizona Cardinals got rid of their coach but kept their quarterback. This team has a ton of holes. Kyler Murray is a super-talented player who has yet to demonstrate he can make the team better. Don’t pin the franchise's failures on Murray, but it would not be fair not to mention his contribution. This team has many weaknesses, and it will be hard to find many games they even have a shot at in a league that loves parity.

The Raiders' offseason workout schedule is as follows:

OTA Offseason workouts: May 22-23, May 25, May 31-June 2, June 12-15

Mandatory Minicamp: June 6-8

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