Raiders Van Eeghen, a Great Pick at No. 3

The Las Vegas Raiders have a rich legacy in the NFL Draft, such as picking Mark van Eeghen in the third round of the 1974 NFL Draft.

While the Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 13 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, Coach Antonio Pierce and General Manager Tom Telesco will also look to add talented depth to the roster with eight other picks.

The Raiders could also land one or two players who could be future stars, which happened in the past for the Silver and Black.

Raider Nation didn’t overthink it when fullback Mark van Eeghen was selected in the third round of the 1974 NFL Draft (No. 75 overall) out of Colgate, and he backed up fellow Colgate fullback Marv Hubbard for the first two seasons of his pro career.

Then, Van Eeghen became the full-time starter in 1976 and the best fullback in the Raiders’ history over the next six seasons.

“Marv took me under his wing a taught me the things I needed to know, even though he knew that I might eventually take his job,” said Van Eeghen, who played key roles as the Raiders won Super Bowls XI and XV. “Maybe it was because we were both from Colgate, but he was very good to me.”

Although the Raiders were known for their passing game, during those years, they also had a formidable offensive line that included the likes of five Hall of Famers -- center Jim Otto, guard Gene Upshaw, tackles Art Shell and Bob Brown, and tight end Dave Casper.

That gave quarterback Kenny “Snake” Stabler plenty of options.

“When we came to the line of scrimmage, other teams wanted to know where (wide receivers) Cliff Branch and Fred Biletnikoff were because we were known as a passing team,” said Hall of Famer Stabler, who was the Raiders’ quarterback for much of the 1970s.

“But we had a powerful offensive line and two great fullbacks during that time, Marv Hubbard and Mark van Eeghen, interestingly both from Colgate. If you gave either one of them even a little hole, they were so big and strong they would get to the second level and then just knock people over.

“They were such a great complement to our passing game.”

Van Eeghen rushed for 1,012 yards in his first season as a starter in 1976, added 1,273 yards the next year, followed by 1,080, and by the time he left the Raiders in 1981, he was their all-time leading rusher with 5,907 yards and 35 touchdowns. He also caught 162 passes for 1,467 yards and three more scores.

Although Marcus Allen passed him with 2,090 rushing yards, Van Eeghen still ranks second in franchise history.

Who will be the next great Las Vegas Raiders from the 2024 NFL Draft? / © Malcolm Emmons | 1977 Jan 9

However, Van Eeghen’s most outstanding achievement probably came in Super Bowl XI, when he became the lead blocker for Clarence Davis, terrorizing the Minnesota Vikings’ linebackers as Davis rushed for 137 yards in a 32-14 rout at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Van Eeghen added 73 yards of his own.

“Van Eeghen’s blocking was a key to us dominating that game the way we did,” Stabler said.

Wrote Ryan Smith of Last Word in Sports: “While Van Eeghen isn’t a household name … his pulverizing, pummeling blocking style silenced the likes Minnesota’s ‘Purple People Eaters’ paved the way for the Raiders running game.”

Van Eeghen finished his NFL career by playing two seasons for the New England Patriots, but said: “I’m a Raider, through and through.”

Pierce and Telesco can only hope to add more Raiders like Van Eeghen.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.

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