The Evolution of the Raiders' Leading Receivers

Here’s a look at the Raiders’ leading receiver by year and how they got to be there, starting with the AFL days and moving up to the present day.

A look back at who were the top two receivers from each season since 1967

Joe Morgan, Bill Miller, Fred Biletnikoff, Cliff Branch. Charlie Smith...the list goes on and on. If you’re a fan of Raider football, it’s hard not to notice that there is usually one or two players who manage to catch more passes than anyone else. This gives me an idea: what if I charted every season and noted how many times each receiver led his team in receptions? What patterns would emerge? I can already guess that some of these will be player-specific (e.g., Jerry Rice) but are there any consistent trends among teams? Or do receiving leaders just seem to come out of nowhere like a scene from Argo? Let’s find out! Read on...

2006 - Louis Murphy, Ronald Curry

Ronald Curry - 65, Louis Murphy - 64, Darrell Jackson - 62. 2007 - Jerry Porter: Jerry Porter - 82, Doug Gabriel - 54, Zach Miller - 41. 2008 – Johnnie Lee Higgins: Johnnie Lee Higgins – 58, Zach Miller – 51, Ronald Curry – 50. 2009 – Chaz Schilens: Chaz Schilens- 71, Zach Miller- 49, Louis Murphy- 45.

2007 - Ronald Curry, Javon Walker

Coming into his third year in Oakland, quarterback JaMarcus Russell had yet to establish any sort of identity for himself. In 2007, Russell and wide receiver Ronald Curry seemed to be developing a chemistry together on an offense that was led by a veteran cast. Curry caught eight touchdowns and seven receiving yards, making him Russell’s leading receiver in both categories. That season also marked Ronald Curry’s final year as an Oakland Raider; he was traded in October 2008 to Kansas City.

2008 - Zach Miller, John Madsen

Al Saunders took over as offensive coordinator and brought his tight end-heavy offense with him. Zach Miller finished as Oakland's leading receiver in 2008 with 35 receptions, but John Madsen wasn't far behind with 27 catches. By season's end, both receivers averaged 8.1 yards per reception and Miller's 11 receiving touchdowns was enough to lead all NFL tight ends that year. The next closest tight end (Antonio Gates) trailed Miller by nine scores. There's little doubt that while Miller was clearly a talented player, he owed much of his success to Al Saunders who coached him up through a career year. Saunders was fired after just one season with Oakland and every year since has been a different story for whoever finished as leading receiver for that team in '08.

2010 - Brandon Myers, Denarius Moore

Myers led in receptions, targets and yards while Moore had a team-high eight receiving touchdowns. Not bad for rookies, eh? Each rookie also played 100 percent of his team's offensive snaps. Moore was second in average yards per route run (1.54) and Myers was fourth (1.48).

2011 - Darrius Heyward-Bey, Jacoby Ford

Heyward-Bey, a first round draft pick in 2009, led all Oakland receivers with 64 catches. Ford was second with 46 receptions. Denarius Moore finished third with 25 catches for 422 yards and three touchdowns despite starting only six games. Others: Rod Streater (21 catches, 249 yards) and Richard Gordon (16 catches, 152 yards). Key losses: None. Outlook: Heyward-Bey will again be a starter next season, but his production may go down if rookie quarterback Tyler Wilson takes over under center as expected. He’ll be joined by returning starters Moore and Ford.

2012 - Denarius Moore, Brandon Myers

Moore broke out in his second season, and was a big reason why Carson Palmer was able to have a career year. Moore had 64 receptions for 1,064 yards and six touchdowns. Moore also had 18 carries for another 116 yards (6.7 YPC). Myers set career highs in catches (46) and yards (473), but didn't score a touchdown. He proved his value when Jared Veldheer went down with an injury: Myers hauled in 14 passes for 208 yards and three scores while completing 4-of-7 targets during two games against Kansas City and Miami, becoming one of four tight ends in NFL history with 200+ receiving yards over two games - Gene Washington, Ozzie Newsome, Kellen Winslow II...and Myers.

2013 - Rod Streater, James Jones

Streater (6) and Jones (4) were quarterback Terrelle Pryor’s top targets during his five games as a starter. Streater finished with 688 yards on 46 receptions, and Jones grabbed 31 balls for 546 yards. Both played full time in 10 games, while Denarius Moore (41 catches, 741 yards) missed four contests after injuring his ankle during Week 3 against Seattle. The fourth-leading receiver was running back Darren McFadden, who finished with 36 catches for 330 yards after he was forced into a bigger role when injuries to both Rashad Jennings (Achilles tendon) and Jeremy Stewart (ankle) caused both to miss all but one game.

2014 - James Jones, Rod Streater

Jones had 59 catches for 817 yards, while Streater’s numbers were 53-788. [1] 2014 - Andre Holmes, James Jones, Rod Streater: Holmes had 26 catches for 431 yards and three touchdowns; Jones caught 47 passes for 690 yards and four TDs; Streater contributed 37 receptions for 597 yards and two TDs. [2] 2015 - Amari Cooper: Cooper hauled in 72 passes for 1,070 yards and six TDs as a rookie. [3] 2016 - Michael Crabtree: Crabtree led Oakland with 83 receptions (on 119 targets) while totaling 922 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

2015 - Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree

Cooper led all Raiders receivers with 82 receptions for 1,153 yards and six touchdowns. Crabtree was second on the team in receptions (70) and third in receiving yards (740). Crabtree also had five receiving TDs in 2015. Cooper’s 82 catches were eighth among all NFL rookies, while his 1,153 receiving yards were sixth-best for a rookie since 2000. It was also an Oakland rookie record for both categories. Cooper’s 70 catches ranked as 12th-most among AFC rookies, while his 1,153 yards were good enough for 14th-most overall in 2015 among all AFC receivers.