Oakland Raiders: Nine Players Who Must Play Big For Team To Succeed

Nov 20, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders lineabcker Sio Moore (55) celebrates after the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Chiefs 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Sio Moore

Last season, we started to see that Sio Moore, a third round pick in the 2013 draft, can be a really special player – and a terrific complement to Khalil Mack.

Moore showed himself to be one of the emotional leaders of a defense that needs leadership. Though injury robbed him of five games last season, he still accumulated 67 tackles and three sacks. But his impact on the defense was felt well beyond the stat sheet.

For all of his positives, Moore also showed that he plays a little out of control at times. He overpursued on some plays and got himself into bad positions on others. Those are things he absolutely must work on correcting this offseason.

He is already one of the leaders on defense, and gives the team and emotional spark. But he has to step up his game and be one of the best all around defensive players. Moore is every bit as vital to Oakland’s success on defense as Mack is, and the Raiders need him to continue developing into the top tier linebacker he showed that he has the ability to be.

Next: Ground Control