During the NFL Draft, good teams make sure that their rookie classes have a good combination of college production and athletic upside.
Take Tyree Wilson for example as he had 27.5 tackles for a loss and 14 sacks over the last two seasons. But his calling card is his length and athleticism, which should allow him to thrive in the NFL. The hope is that he can be an even better NFL player than he was in the Big 12.
But which player from the 2023 rookie class of the Raiders was the most productive player in college? Well, that answer is pretty simple. In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they took a look at each team’s highest-graded rookie from the 2022 college football season.
For the Raiders, that was none other than tight end Michael Mayer, who was the highest-graded tight end in college football last season. Here is what the site had to say about the All-American tight end:
Mayer represented the engine of the Notre Dame passing attack in 2022, hauling in a team-high 67 receptions — 17 of which were on contested targets. The latter figure led the FBS among tight ends.
Mayer is one of the best pure football players from this draft and should start right away for Las Vegas. He’s got the pedigree, toughness, and knack for making clutch plays that the Raiders need in the middle of the field.
While he might not have the “upside” of some of the other tight ends in this class, you can bank on Mayer having a long and productive NFL career with the Raiders.
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