The 10 most underrated players in Las Vegas Raiders history
By Brad Weiss
2. Underrated Raiders: Cliff Branch, Wide Receiver
During the 1970s, you would be hard-pressed to find a wide receiver who did more on the field than Raiders legend Cliff Branch. The team’s fourth round pick in the 1972 NFL Draft, Branch had success early, making the Pro Bowl in four consecutive seasons from 1974 through 1977.
A three-time First-Team All-Pro, Branch led the NFL in receptions in 1974, which was one of two times that he also led the NFL in receiving touchdowns. Playing his entire career with the Raiders, Branch was a member of three Super Bowl-winning teams and still sits third behind Tim Brown and Fred Biletnikoff in team history in receiving yards.
Unfortunately, Branch left this world in August of 2019, a death that sent shockwaves throughout Raider Nation. It was a shame that he passed before he could ever be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as he was a finalist in 2004 and 2010, and as the years continue to pass, it is looking like it might never happen for Branch.