In comparison to the rest of his resume, how will the 2017 draft class of the Oakland Raiders rank for Reggie McKenzie?
Grades from every media outlet know to man have poured in to discuss how the Oakland Raiders fared in the 2017 NFL Draft. I’m generally not a fan of rating or “grading” any draft class any time within its first year, and especially not only hours or days after it happened. Imagine dating someone for a few weeks and then proposing to them. Or tasting a toothpick sample from a restaurant and writing a strongly-worded Yelp review. The people that practices these sort of hefty commitments exist only within the confines of the internet, where they face endless, tireless ridicule.
Case in point: the most recognizable name in the draft coverage/scouting industry gave the Raiders a measly “B+” after the 2014 draft, which is maybe not an entirely egregious take only a few relative moments after the draft, but it looks particularly ridiculous now, especially considering the NFL loves to re-imagine that draft with Khalil Mack and Derek Carr being the first two picks.
And even this year, JBB’s own Justin Smith did a round-up of all the draft grades the Raiders have received from various pundits thus far. The results are quite mixed.
The bottom line is, we have no idea how McKenzie’s 2017 draft class will rank among the rest of his work until we see not only how those players assimilate in the pros, but how the guys who Reggie passed on pan out as well. Anything else is useless conjecture.
What we can safely assert is that the worth of this class will ultimately hinge on what happens with first-round choice Gareon Conley and his legal situation.
While the popular assumption seems to be that Conley will be cleared of the allegations made against him, there is still a legal process that has to play out. Should Conley be indicted for any reason, that process extends significantly. In the very least, what and how much Conley will have to contribute to the Raiders during his rookie year with this hanging over his head.
Conley met with police in Cleveland today to provide his DNA samples and statement for the continuing investigation. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, it’ll be another 6-8 weeks before the prosecutor has completed their review of the case — right as the Raiders’ mandatory minicamp is set to begin.
As it stands, the Raiders were able to select what many believe to be the one of the top three, if not the best outright corner in this year’s class in the late first round. If Conley is cleared legally and is able to contribute immediately this upcoming season, the Raiders will have found incredible value — especially considering that there was considerable talk that second-round selection Obi Melifonwu would be taken in the first round leading up to the draft. Sound familiar?
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If the case drags on, however, a pick that is already being questioned by many around the league will look especially foolhardy.
We can talk about the rest of it in a year or three.