General Manager Mike Mayock was an elite hire by the Raiders franchise

General Manager Mike Mayock was an elite hire by the Raiders franchise

Upgrading both sides of the ball

The 2018 Raiders team won only four games, but there was hope surrounding the franchise, as Jon Gruden made his return as head coach prior to the season. With Gruden back at the helm, the franchise appeared to be in good hands, but the team had a horrible 2018 draft class, bringing in a group that has seen players released or traded already.

Mayock quickly went to work upgrading the roster, and while his biggest signing of 2019, wide receiver Antonio Brown, did not pan out, so many other guys did. Outside of his tremendous 2019 draft class, the Raiders also added an elite right tackle in Trent Brown, who would go on to become a Pro Bowler in Year 1 with the Raiders.

While there was some swings and misses that first year, the Raiders were a much better product on the field, and even looked to be headed towards the playoffs after a 6-4 start. They would go on to lose five of their last six, as they dealt with injuries to some key pieces, but the stage has been set for them to take the next step forward in 2020.

This offseason, Mayock has brought back the entire starting 2019 offensive line, revamped the linebacker group by adding the talented Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski, and even brought in some veteran leadership in tight end Jason Witten. In addition, he added solid veterans to the secondary in Prince Amukamara and Demarious Randall, as he continues to change the talent level in the organization.