After the 2018 season, head coach Jon Gruden made the decision to bring on former TV draftnik Mike Mayock to be his general manager. It was a strange move for a variety of reasons, the biggest being that a head coach had the power to hire his own general manager. That is pretty rare in sports.
But with Mayock’s background in the draft and all of their upcoming draft capital, it did seem like a good fit. But from 2019 to 2020, the Raiders made five first-round picks and only one (Josh Jacobs) has done much to date. Overall, it’s been a pretty uninspiring haul from Mayock and Gruden that deserves criticism.
In a recent article by ESPN’s beat writers and analysts, they ranked every team’s front office. Not surprisingly, the Raiders did not rank very high. In fact, they came in at No. 31 with only the Chicago Bears finishing worst. Here is what Louis Riddick of ESPN had to say about the front office:
“I have always respected Jon Gruden as a coach. I played for him, and I know what he brings to the table. But something is not working out in Vegas regarding both the team-building and the on-field execution. The Raiders need to get it fixed, and quickly. That falls on Gruden.”
The Raiders also graded out 31st in drafting, which isn’t all that surprising given some of their recent picks since 2019. For whatever reason, the combination of Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden isn’t working out as well hoped. But the team believes they had a strong draft (and free agency period) in 2021 that will get them back on track.
If the Raiders struggle this season and the 2021 draft class doesn’t add much, don’t be surprised to see a change in the power structure in the front office. This is one of the weaker units in the league and is hurting the product on the field.