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Las Vegas Raiders guard Richie Incognito (64, center) runs sprints beside teammate offensive tackle Kolton Miller (74) and others during warm ups at the Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in Henderson. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Friday, April 23, 2021 | 2 a.m.
The Raiders haven’t completed a first-round NFL Draft-day trade since 2013.
That could change this year when the 2021 NFL Draft begins next Thursday in Cleveland with Las Vegas possessing the No. 17 overall selection. Raiders general manager Mike Mayock opened his pre-draft news conference by stressing the need for the franchise to be “nimble” given their positioning in the dead-middle of the first round.
“At 17, you’re sitting there and you’re going, ‘OK, I think the board is going to fall a certain way. And how are we going to react if it doesn’t fall that way, is there a way to get out? Is there a way to go back?’,” Mayock said. “I think a lot of (general managers) around the league are making calls right now, ‘Hey, you a willing partner, what do you think?’ Conversely, if you’re sitting at 17 and a guy you think is going to 8-10 or 12, somebody who you really like that fits what you do starts to slide a little bit, you’ve got to be willing to say, ‘Are we willing to take the chance to give up some draft capital to go get a specific guy?’”
The brain trust of Mayock and Raiders coach Jon Gruden are entering their third draft together. Although it’s too early to draw definitive conclusions about their drafting success so far, the consensus is that their performance has been mixed.
The biggest criticism has been that they may have reached for players early. At least three of the five first-round picks used under Mayock went on players that conventional wisdom indicated would have been available later — defensive end Clelin Ferrell at No. 4 overall in 2019, wide receiver Henry Ruggs III at No. 12 overall in 2020 and cornerback Damon Arnette at No. 19 overall in 2020.
There were likely opportunities to trade down, gain capital and still take a targeted player that Mayock passed on. He hasn’t expressed any regrets, however, and feels that the experience of having now been through two drafts in his current position will be beneficial this year.
“When you make decisions, you have to take everything into account,” Mayock said. “You have to take all of the coaches’ opinions, you have to take all the scouts’ opinions. Jon and I sit down and gather and grind it together to come to a consensus. But at the end of the day, the best way I feel good about myself is when I know that I feel good about that kid from A-Z. And if I make a mistake, it’s for the right reasons.”
The last time the Raiders unquestionably succeeded with their first pick was 2018, Gruden’s first draft but one before Mayock came on board, when they selected left tackle Kolton Miller. Las Vegas signed the UCLA product to a 3-year, $54 million contract extension this offseason as the franchise made sure to lock him up even after turning over most of the other starters on the offensive line from the past several seasons.
Most mock drafts are predicting the Raiders use this year’s first-round pick on a player in the same position group to fill the aforementioned voids around Miller. But Mayock made it sound like more positions are in play after the team had an active free–agency period.
“You’re trying to set yourself up in the draft so you can take the best player that you can take,” Mayock said. “We’re very aware of our needs. Obviously when the needs fit up with where you are in the draft board, that’s awesome. When they don’t, you have to be a little careful.”
Good luck trying to decipher whether Mayock’s comments are pre-draft posturing or actually telling about how the franchise will approach the event. For whatever it’s worth, Mayock spoke a lot of truth heading into last year’s draft.
He warned that the Raiders may rate the players at their positions of need — namely wide receiver and cornerback —differently than most and later demonstrated that to be the case by taking Ruggs and Arnette ahead of where they were expected to go. Both players showed flashes in their rookie seasons but fell a bit short of expectation based on where they were drafted.
There’s still time, though, and Mayock praised both of their strength-and-conditioning efforts this offseason while expressing confidence that they’ll show major improvement on the field.
“We need consistency and effort and I’m a big believer in both of those kids,” Mayock said. “I’m really excited to see them play this year.”
Coming off an 8-8 season in their Las Vegas debut, the Raiders’ No. 17 pick is the latest they’ve started drafting since Gruden came into the fold. Picking in a new range of the draft requires a new approach.
The Raiders are acting accordingly.
“The further you are away from No. 1, the more multiplication and different numbers come into play,” Mayock said.
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.
