The Las Vegas Raiders have failed to get off the ground in the last two decades, in large part due to poor decisions in the NFL draft. It seems like no matter who was in charge, the Silver and Black were destined to choose the wrong player.
Perhaps no tandem was a bigger example of this than head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler, who ran the franchise into the ground over just a season and a half. While they made a series of blunders in the free agent market as well, their drafting was even worse.
In the two chances that they had in the draft, they only selected a total of two players who have a chance to start for the Raiders this season. Their top picks have endured suspect careers thus far, and they found zero value in the later rounds.
Former Raiders DT Matthew Butler is on the Dolphins' roster bubble
2022 fifth-round pick Matthew Butler, a McDaniels and Ziegler selection, was waived by Las Vegas this offseason by new general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll. He was claimed by the Miami Dolphins, giving him new life in the NFL.
However, the Dolphins drafted three defensive linemen in this year's draft, including one in the first round. Miami also has seven players competing for just a handful of spots, which means that Butler is already on thin ice as OTAs progress.
Butler was never able to find a niche for the Raiders, as he played in just 15 games over three seasons. He also recorded only 15 tackles and one quarterback hit, so he was largely ineffective in his 168 career snaps.
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The Raiders drafted two defensive tackles in the 2025 NFL Draft, Ole Miss' J.J. Pegues and South Carolina's Tonka Hemingway. Clearly, the new regime did not feel that Butler was up to snuff, and he may not be having any more luck in Miami.
Given the Raiders' recent ability to develop defensive linemen under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and position coach Rob Leonard, Butler's lack of success is more of an idictment of Las Vegas' previous talent evaluation.
Raider Nation will still be cheering for Butler to find his way with another NFL franchise, but his seemingly uphill battle to do so means that the new regime in Las Vegas made a good decision in letting him go.