NFL Draft: Reggie McKenzie’s Top 5 Picks for the Raiders
By Justin Smith
2. Khalil Mack, 1st Round, Pick 5, 2014 NFL Draft
Mack was a no-brainer and a top five pick! How does that fit? Obvious pick! Well, lots of teams miss these picks. And it paved the way to draft Carr in the second round.
Mack was NOT a no-brainer. The Raiders had roster holes all over the place, Mack was a small-school prospect and there were potential franchise tackles left on the board. McKenzie went for Mack — and it has paid off in spades.
Here’s how you get value at number five overall: have that player win multiple accolades, including defensive player of the year, in his third season. That’s after being top five in his second season. Have him become one of the most popular and inspiring players on your roster — from the moment he sets foot in the locker room.
Have that player become the best overall player at his position, and it’s not even close. No other edge defender plays the pass and the run with greatness equal to Mack. You can check stats, analytics, video, or the eye test. He wins them all.
Mack has no weaknesses. He defends the run as well as he rushes the passer, wrecks a team’s gameplan, and seals victories by himself. And he is a humble, quiet leader who is the franchise cornerstone of the defense.
McKenzie could have went in multiple directions with the fifth pick in the 2014 draft. Mike Evans was still there — so was OBJ. The Raiders were just about to lose their first ten games of 2014 — they had needs everywhere.
Yet McKenzie saw in Mack a small-school player with huge-game potential and an attitude and work ethic second to none. He drafted Mack — and his offensive counterpart — in the same draft, setting the stage for a Raider resurgence.
1. Derek Carr, 2nd Round, Pick 36, 2014 NFL Draft
Mack’s offensive counterpart is, of course, Derek Carr. Their strong bond, forged in being drafted together and suffering through the horridness of 2014, is rarely seen among offensive and defensive players in football.
Carr isn’t your typical player, or person, though. He is a devoutly religious man who makes time for everyone he meets — literally — and does selfless good works on a seemingly daily basis. He speaks out against injustices and uses his social media platforms for good instead of self-gratification.
His positive attitude and encouragement to all of his teammates, as well as his support for former teammates who leave, is second to none.
But wait, there’s more! He’s a pretty damned good QB. He’s led more fourth-quarter comebacks than anyone else since the beginning of 2016. He broke an NFL record for most winning TD passes in the fourth quarter/overtime in 2016.
It is fair to say, though only speculative, that if Carr didn’t suffer an unfortunate and untimely broken leg in Week 16 of the 2016 season, the Raiders may have had a shot at getting past the first round of the playoffs. His leadership and clutch ability represent the pinnacle of NFL performance and he continues to get better all the time.
The Raiders got a franchise quarterback, leader, and human being in the second round of the NFL draft. McKenzie values character and leadership almost as much as talent. Not only do Carr’s actions prove his daily, but the team’s overall demeanour and attitude reaffirm this philosophy.
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The quarterback is the most important position on an NFL roster in that if you have a good one, it can cover flaws. If you have a bad one you simply can’t win.
The Raiders have a great one — and nabbed him in the second round. Carr is McKenzie’s best pick hands-down, and the fact he got him in the second round is almost unbelievable at this point.