Raiders have 3 1st-rounders in GM Mike Mayock’s 1st draft
ALAMEDA, CALIF. (AP) » Mike Mayock won’t exactly get to ease into his new role as Oakland Raiders general manager after spending years as a draft analyst.
Mayock knows he will be highly scrutinized with three first- round picks thanks to coach Jon Gruden’s much- criticized trades that sent franchise building blocks Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper out of town as part of a massive rebuilding project in Oakland.
The first big step in that process begins with the draft, where the Raiders hold the fourth, 24th and 27th picks in the first round.
“As Jon keeps telling me, ‘ Don’t mess it up, dude. I took a lot of slings to get you three first-round picks,’” Mayock said. “We laugh about it all the time but ... I don’t feel any pressure about it. I love it and embrace it because it’s going to give us an opportunity to continue to try to turn the corner here and become a good football team, and I think what it really gives us is flexibility and that’s what I love about it.”
Finding a replacement for Mack will be paramount in the draft after the Raiders had an NFL- low 13 sacks last season following the deal that sent the 2016 AP Defensive Player of the Year to Chicago for a package that included two firstround picks.
This draft is considered to be deep with pass rushers, including Nick Bosa, Josh Allen, Montez Sweat and Brian Burns on the outside, and Quinnen Williams and Ed Oliver on the inside.
Now it’s about making the right choices.
“On paper it looks great,” Gruden said. “When you start studying the tape, you have to decide for yourself. Some of these guys, like I just said, are a bit mysterious, because they’re young, they’re underclassmen, they didn’t play a high percentage of snaps.”
Here are some other things to watch: