Tag: Raiders draft

WATCH: Mel Kiper Jr. breaks down pick of Raiders CB Charles Woodson in 1998 NFL Draft

WATCH: Mel Kiper Jr. breaking down pick of Raiders CB Charles Woodson in 1998 NFL Draft

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 23 years since Charles Woodson was selected by the Oakland Raiders. He was the No. 4 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft and absolutely lived up to the incredible hype that he had coming out of Michigan.

Woodson went on to start 251 games in the NFL, totaling 65 interceptions, 33 forced fumbles 20 sacks, and scored 11 touchdowns. This year, he was named a first-ballot Hall of Famer and is one of the best defensive backs in NFL history.

To relive that selection, here is Mel Kiper Jr. breaking down the pick on the 1998 telecast of the draft. This video is courtesy of ESPN and their draft coverage:

As usual, Kiper nails the evaluation of Woodson and might have even underrated him some. Woodson was a dominant player in the NFL for all of the reasons that Kiper listed. The Raiders are certainly hoping they can have similar luck in ten days when the 2021 NFL draft rolls around.

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Raiders meet with super sleeper TE Jacob Harris

Raiders meet with super sleeper TE Jacob Harris

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Jon Gruden is always searching for his next project. In 2019, it was Darren Waller. He turned the former Georgia Tech wide receiver into one of the league’s best tight ends by the end of the year. In 2020, it was Nelson Agholor, as he made him one of the highest-paid receivers on the open market.

But with the offense pretty much set, don’t expect the Raiders to invest much draft capital into their offensive weapons. However, there is a player on Day 3 that has already caught the attention of Mike Mayock and Gruden.

That player is Jacob Harris, a hybrid wide receiver/tight end from Central Florida. According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Raiders have already met with Harris ahead of the 2021 NFL draft.

Harris is a rare athlete as he ran a 4.40 40-yard dash at 6’5, 219 pounds at Centra Florida’s Pro Day. What’s even more impressive is his explosion, jumping 40.5 inches in the vertical and 133 inches in the broad jump. Both of those numbers rank 96th percentile or better at wide receiver.

Whoever drafts (or signs) Harris is going to need a few years to develop him. He wasn’t all that productive in college and is a bit of a tweener. The Raiders likely view him as a tight end and that means he might need a year or two in the weight room to get up to 230-240 pounds.

Harris should be selected sometime on Day 3 and with the Raiders having a ton of picks after the top-100, don’t be surprised if they land the former UCF star.

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Raiders select Alabama DT Christian Barmore in latest Draft Network mock

Raiders select Alabama DT Christian Barmore in latest Draft Network mock

Addressing the defensive line is starting to become a theme for the Raiders in the first round of many mock drafts. Whether it’s an edge rusher or an interior defensive lineman, the Raiders have to get better upfront if they want to compete with the best teams in the AFC.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen several different names mentioned in connection with the Raiders at No. 17. But the player who is starting to become a consensus pick for Las Vegas is Christian Barmore of Alabama.

In a recent mock draft by Joe Marino of The Draft Network, he gave the Raiders the former Alabama star at No. 17. Here’s what he had to say about the potential fit:

“Barmore hails from a successful college program, which appears to be a priority for early picks made by general manager Mike Mayock, and he fills a need for a Raiders team that needs to get better on defense, particularly up front. Barmore is a balanced defender that has dynamic playmaking ability as a pass rusher and run defender and he was dominant in the College Football Playoff.”

As Marino mentioned, big-school production is a must for Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden. And given their need at defensive tackle, Barmore would fit in well. He might need a year to develop considering his lack of experience, but the team does have Maurice Hurst under contract for one more season. That would allow Barmore to rotate in as a rookie and potentially be the team’s starting three-technique by 2022.

Barmore, along with Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Komorah, appear to be the two most likely picks for the Raiders in the first round at this point. However, with free agency happening next month, all that could change rather quickly. Keep an eye on Barmore as a potential selection for the Raiders in the first round.

Grading the 2020 rookie draft class for the Las Vegas Raiders

Grading the 2020 rookie draft class for the Las Vegas Raiders

The 2020 season for the Raiders is becoming more and more hindsight. Mainly because they didn’t make the playoffs, despite going 6-4 against the tough part of their schedule and then 2-4 the rest of the way.

In Gruden’s third year, with the last picks from the Khalil Mack trade on board, he needed to see those rookies step up for him. How did they do? Let’s see.

Round 1, Pick No.  12: WR Henry Ruggs III

Ruggs was the first wide receiver taken in this draft. Ahead of the likes of CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, and Justin Jefferson — all of whom significantly outperformed Ruggs and his 452 receiving yards. You can include 25th overall pick Brandon Aiyuk, 33rd overall pick Tee Higgins, 34th overall pick Michael Pittman Jr, 42nd overall pick Laviska Shenault, and 49th overall pick Chase Claypool. The only WR in the top 50 with fewer TD’s than Ruggs’s two was Pittman (1).

Ruggs’s issues seemed to be about getting open and gaining separation, which is incredibly important for him considering he was drafted to be the team’s deep threat receiver.

Grade: C-

Round 1, Pick No. 19: CB Damon Arnette

Arnette was named the starter out of camp. Three games into the season, he suffered a thumb injury and was placed on IR. He returned week ten, started three games, but was concussed early in the final two of those starts, causing him to miss two games. He also landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, returning to play the final two games.

His six full games were rough too, routinely getting beaten for big plays, including the one that cost them wins against the Chiefs in week 11 and the Dolphins in week 16. He had just two pass breakups and no interceptions on the season.

Grade: D

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Report: Raiders CB Damon Arnette was hampered by injury at NFL Combine

The Raiders raised eyebrows in selecting CB Damon Arnette in the first round of the NFL draft, but more information has come to light.

Though the Raiders made it obvious that team speed is a factor with their first selection of the 2020 NFL draft, speed-burning wide receiver Henry Ruggs III, the team’s other first-round pick, cornerback Damon Arnette, ran a painfully slow 4.56-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.

In a division with offensive playmakers such as the Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill, drafting a slow CB is enough to raise a few eyebrows, and not in a good way.

But in a bit of news that could make the selection of Arnette more palatable, Chris Carter, former NFL WR and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, claimed that Arnette dealt with injury at the NFL combine, explaining his poor time in the 40-yard-dash.

“He’s got better game speed than he showed at the combine,” Carter said, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Twitter account. “At the combine, he was dealing with a couple things. He had a hamstring and a back issue. I believe he runs a lot faster than that combine time.”

Carter and Arnette both played football at Ohio State, and it was Carter that convinced Arnette to remain in college an extra year after Arnette was set to enter the draft in 2019. He’s definitely in the position to have some inside information on the young CB.

Arnette will need every bit of speed he has to quiet his critics, perhaps most notably, Pro Football Focus. The publication claims that Arnette “does not in any way, shape or form fit the normal profile for a first-round cornerback.”

But he’ll have the first crack at the Raiders’ starting job opposite second-year CB, Trayvon Mullen. If Carter’s claim is true, that will help the Raiders’ chances on defense immensely as they head to their inaugural season in Las Vegas.

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Raiders aim to rebuild Marcus Mariota’s confidence ‘from the ground up’

It’s no secret that Raiders GM Mike Mayock is a fan of QB Marcus Mariota, but he says Mariota’s game needs a confidence boost.

Last season didn’t go according to plan for Marcus Mariota. In fact, one could say it was a disaster.

A starter for the Titans since he was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2015, Mariota lost his spot to his backup, Ryan Tannehill, after going 2-4 in six starts for Tennesse. That could shake the confidence of any QB, even a former Heisman Trophy winner such as Mariota.

Adding further to Mariota’s confidence issues, he’s dealt with numerous injuries in his career, dating back to his rookie campaign. Raiders general manager Mike Mayock was apparently aware of those concerns when he acquired Mariota to be Las Vegas’ backup, behind starting quarterback, Derek Carr.

“We got to rebuild him a little bit to get his confidence back,” Mayock said over conference call Tuesday. “Build him up from the ground up. It’s going to take a little while, I think, just to get him healthy and where he wants to be, but we’re excited about the quarterback room.”

Mayock also mentioned Mariota already knows that he and coach Jon Gruden think highly of him; the GM, a former draft analyst for NFL Media, named Mariota his top QB in the ’15 draft. Gruden, himself a former TV star on ESPN, hosted Mariota on “Gruden’s QB Camp.” around the same time.

“He knows that both of us believed in him coming out and still believe in him,” Mayock said Tuesday.

Even with all that belief, Mariota is still the backup to Carr, who has started for the Raiders since his rookie campaign in 2014 and intends to keep his spot.

Mayock said Mariota has done well to accept his reality in recent interviews, expressing plainly that the Raiders are Carr’s team. Another part of Mariota’s reality, of course, is the opportunity to improve as a player under Gruden, taking a step toward perhaps fulfilling his potential.

“He wants to become the best version of Marcus Mariota that he can become. And that’s the way we look at it,” said Mayock. “Let’s see who the best Marcus Mariota is, and, in the meantime, we love what we have with Derek Carr so we’re real happy with our quarterback room.”

Though Mariota’s confidence must increase, he stands to push Carr more than any of his previous backups have. Mariota has started 61 games in his career, though he’s won just 29. He has a playoff win to his credit, however, after the Titans beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium — where Carr has struggled as a Raider — in the 2017 playoffs.

But as Mayock intimated, much has to happen for Mariota to take Carr’s spot. Mariota will be rewarded due to an incentive-laden contract if he does, adding fuel to any speculation about the Raiders QB job. Plus, one only has to look at what happened to Mariota last year in Tennessee to realize how quickly fortunes can turn in the NFL.

Mariota is staying in his own lane, though. He’s known as a good teammate, even during the disaster that was his 2019 campaign. So while Carr has the inside track, Mariota is doing all can to build his confidence, and perhaps pass Carr in the process.

TCU’s Ross Blacklock finds out he has 37 unpaid parking tickets during NFL Combine interview

TCU defensive lineman Ross Blacklock got quite the surprise during his interview with the Las Vegas Raiders at the NFL Scouting Combine

TCU defensive lineman Ross Blacklock racked up quite the long list of parking tickets during his time playing for the Horned Frogs.

The problem? He wasn’t aware until the Las Vegas Raiders informed him during their interview with the draft hopeful at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine (via Jordan Heck):

That’s definitely not the best way to find out about such a thing, but at least now he knows? Thankfully, after he’s drafted in a couple of months, Blacklock should be able to take care of those tickets and plenty more.

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In a display of diligence, Raiders first to visit stat-stuffing, small-school EDGE prospect

The Raiders scouting department was the first on the scene to scout one obscure, high-performing 2020 pass-rush prospect.

The Raiders selected a small-school EDGE player late in last year’s NFL draft, and in a display of diligence, they were the first to take an in-person look at a similar 2020 prospect.

Last year, it was DE Quinton Bell, drafted in the seventh round out of Prarie View A&M. This time around, the Raiders gathered information on pass-rush specialist Shaq Bradford, who dominated the competition for tiny Kansas Wesleyan University, an NAIA school. (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.)

Listed on Kansas Wesleyan’s team website at 5-foot-10 and 223 pounds, Bradford went on a two-year tear after attending junior college, finishing with an incredible 63 tackles for loss and 43 sacks.

Bradford told On Air with Chris Shanafelt it was a visit from the Raiders in early 2019 that made his NFL dream seem attainable.

“I had the Raiders talk to me and they and did a measurement test, and that’s when I knew, like, there’s a possibility. These teams are looking,” Bradford said. “They’re at least giving me somewhat of an opportunity. That Raiders scout didn’t have to come talk to me and take all my measurements. When he took that time, it really opened up my eyes.”

More NFL scouts followed the Raiders lead. According to Bradford, teams visited throughout the season to take a look at him and another Kansas Wesleyan prospect, offensive tackle Ely Smith.

Raiders general manager Mike Mayock is open to selecting little known prospects, judging from his selection of Bell, whom NFL Media didn’t even have highlight footage of. Mayock could also potentially sign Bradford as an undrafted free agent.

But that Mayock’s scouting department was the first on the scene at tiny Kansas Wesleyan should bolster the confidence of Raiders fans. It’s an important offseason, with the team looking to take another step forward in their new Las Vegas home, and it seems that Mayock is leaving no stone unturned in his search for future Raiders.

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