On Monday, the Raiders waived cornerback Nick Nelson with a failed physical designation. He was the corresponding roster move when the team signed veteran free agent Prince Amukamara.
At one time there were some high hopes for the former Wisconsin Badger. He had torn his meniscus in a pre-draft workout with the Lions which some believe had him fall in the draft. When the Raiders picked him at 110 overall, many thought once he returned from the injury, the Raiders would be getting a player who should have been selected some 50 spots higher.
That potential never materialized.
Nelson would appear in ten games as a rookie, then was waived in the final roster cuts prior to the 2019 season. All the expectations of teams looking to draft him in the second round and yet no one claimed Nelson off waivers just a year later.
Nelson would spent most of the season on the practice squad before being called up on December 11. In just his second game back, he injured his knee and was placed on injured reserve. He apparently was never able to fight his way back and was waived before getting another chance to return to the field.
Fans tends to have high hopes for draft picks. The hopes was with Gruden in place as head coach, and with the final say on draft picks, he could succeed where Reggie McKenzie had failed in much of his time as GM.
The 2018 class hasn’t proven that. This is what the whole class looked like:
Round 1, pick 15 – OT Kolton Miller
Round 2, pick 52 – DI PJ Hall
Round 3, pick 65 – OT Brandon Parker
Round 3, pick 87 – ED Arden Key
Round 4, pick 110 – CB Nick Nelson
Round 5, pick 140 – DI Maurice Hurst
Round 5, pick 173 – P Johnny Townsend
Round 6, pick 216 – LB Azeem Victor
Round 7, pick 228 – WR Marcel Ateman
What’s ironic here is the pick that was the most criticized may be the saving grace of the class for the Raiders. Kolton Miller was considered a reach at 15. In his second season he showed himself to be steady presence at left tackle.
Fifth-round pick Maurice Hurst has been marginal, but not near the presence he was expected to be considering his heart condition was the supposed to be the only reason he wasn’t selected in the top half of the first round.
The rest of this draft is utterly forgettable. PJ Hall has done nothing, Brandon Parker has looked dreadful in spot duties, Arden Key has flashed in camp and preseason only to fizzle out in the regular season, Johnny Townsend was literally the worst punter in the NFL before being replaced last year by undrafted rookie AJ Cole, Azeem Victor didn’t make the team, and Marcel Ateman has 20 career catches bouncing back and forth from the practice squad.
This draft shouldn’t be used as an indictment on Gruden. While he had final say on the pick, he wasn’t working in ideal prospect evaluating conditions. The scouting department was in transition and Reggie McKenzie was entering his lame duck season as GM.
With Mike Mayock on board, the improved results were quickly apparent. While you usually want to give a class a couple seasons to pass down judgment — as I did here with the 2018 class — the 2019 class proved as rookies they were a talented group.
It would have helped the team greatly had they also got more from their second-year players.