The Oakland Raiders are slated to become the Las Vegas Raiders after playing in their final season in California. Even with the relocation, fans of the Raiders are undoubtedly going to follow a team that has some reason for optimism moving forward.

For the 2019 season, Jon Gruden was in his second season as head coach and Mike Mayock became the general manager of the organization. Soon after Mayock took the job, the Raiders acquired Antonio Brown via trade. It goes without saying that the Raiders would soon regret making that trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Despite the distractions and tough schedule, the Raiders still finished the season with a 7-9 record. Heading into the offseason, Las Vegas will have plenty of questions to answer before the 2020 season.

At the least, there were plenty of players that drastically improved as the season progressed. Among them, three rookies were able to prove that they can be cornerstones of the franchise for the foreseeable future. With that in mind, here are three players for the Raiders that improved the most throughout 2019.

3. Trayvon Mullen

Last offseason, the Raiders were in dire need of some aid in their secondary. Therefore, they decided to select Trayvon Mullen with the 40th overall pick out of Clemson.

The Clemson cornerback was regarded as one of the best at his position coming out of college. But when he entered the NFL, Mullen needed some time to adjust to the speed of the NFL.

Then, in Week 8, Mullen would make his first career start in the NFL. The rookie cornerback would finish the seasons strong with 45 tackles, 10 deflections, and one interception in the last 10 games of the season.

2. Josh Jacobs

The Raiders went into the 2019 NFL Draft with two first-round selections. With their second first-round pick, they chose to draft the running back out of Alabama, Josh Jacobs.

From the moment he joined the Raiders, Jacobs became a focal point for Gruden's offense. To begin the season, the first-year running back rushed for 307 yards and two touchdowns in his first four outings.

But as the weeks passed by, Jacobs grew comfortable in his role and was one of the best running backs in the NFL. In his last nine games, Jacobs garnered 843 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Unfortunately, a shoulder injury sidelined him for three games. Despite missing three games, Jacobs still ended the season with 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie.

1. Maxx Crosby

The biggest need for the Raiders heading into 2019 was finding pass rushers off of the edge. To address their need, the Raiders selected Clelin Ferrell with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft.

Rather than Ferrell being the one who improved the pass rush, Maxx Crosby emerged as a potential star-in-the-making. Besides drafting Ferrell, the Raiders also landed Crosby in the fourth round of the draft.

The Eastern Michigan product would lead the team with 10 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits, and four forced fumbles. Of his 10 sacks in his rookie campaign, eight of them came in the last eight weeks. The Raiders may have found a diamond in the rough with Crosby.