The Las Vegas Raiders have struggled to draft consistently under Mike Mayock, who could be gone with another sub-par draft class.
The 2021 NFL Draft will kick off on April 29, 2021, and for the Las Vegas Raiders, this is a crucial one. Not only has the team failed to make the playoffs in the three seasons that Jon Gruden has been back as head coach, but they have significantly struggled down the stretch, leaving fans frustrated.
Gruden was supposed to come back and lead this team back to being a perennial playoff contender, but he has seemed out of touch at times in his play-calling and building this roster. He and Mike Mayock have had plenty of opportunities to bring in elite talent in the first round, holding five selections over the past two drafts, but have swung and missed on most of them.
As they enter the 2021 NFL Draft, the clock is ticking on Mayock, as Gruden is not going anywhere with his $100 million contract.
Raiders have struggled drafting with Mayock and Gruden
In his recent ranking of general managers, Gregg Rosenthal ranked the combination of Gruden and Mayock No. 23, which as dead last among general managers who are not dubbed “newbies” in the piece.
Rosenthal labels Josh Jacobs as Mayock’s best pick, and Lynn Bowden Jr. as his worst, and I think we can all agree with that assessment. Taken No. 80 overall in 2020, Bowden was traded away before playing in a regular-season game for the team, as he was sent to the Miami Dolphins on September 5.
With another bad showing in the 2021 NFL Draft, Mayock could be gone as general manager, as the franchise has invested too much money in Gruden, and they are looking to fill their brand new stadium with a winning team. Raiders fans have seen this team crumble the past two seasons, and the big-time players drafted have struggled to make things happen at the NFL level, outside of a handful of picks.
Mayock was brought in from being a draft analyst, and outside of hitting a home run on late-round picks like Hunter Renfrow and Maxx Crosby, he has had too many misses. Sure, Josh Jacobs and Trayvon Mullen are solid, with Jacobs being one of the best running backs in the league, but with four of the first 80 picks in 2021, if Mayock misses again, he could be gone.