Finding a general manager who could work seamlessly with Jon Gruden during his second stint as the head coach of the Raiders was important. Entering the 2019 NFL season, despite a narrow list of viable candidates, the team landed on Mike Mayock.
For as good as Mayock was as an NFL Network draft analyst every year, there were questions about his ability to be a general manager. Turmoil came almost instantly, as offseason trade acquisition Antonio Brown set the template for the rest of his playing career by being a malcontent and taking his grievances to public forums.
Then there was the 2021 season, when Gruden was forced to resign during the season. Despite a playoff berth, Mayock was fired after the season was over.
Mayock's draft record as Raiders' general manager is marked by some big failures in the first round: Clelin Ferrell, Henry Ruggs, Damon Arnette and Alex Leatherwood. Those failures, and some later picks who didn't turn out at all, obscure the draft successes that he did have.
Mike Mayock's biggest draft find gets proper acknowledgement
NFL.com draft analyst Eric Edholm named the five biggest draft values of this millennium for each position. At edge rusher, the Raiders' selection of Maxx Crosby with the No. 106 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2019 draft landed at No. 2.
"Mike Mayock’s first draft with the Raiders provided some surprising picks and some disappointing ones," Edholm wrote. "But few modern-day general managers have been able to pluck a Day 3 talent at the same caliber as Crosby in their maiden drafts."
Crosby has been one of the best edge rushers since entering the league in 2019, so finding him in the fourth round is impeccable value. He continues to take his game to new height with the Raiders, and if he is fully healthy, he can find another level in 2025.
"After sliding in the draft until the early fourth round, Crosby hit the ground running as a rookie, finishing second to No. 2 overall pick Nick Bosa for Defensive Rookie of the Year," Edholm wrote. "In fact, their careers grade out fairly similarly since then, too, with Crosby earning four Pro Bowls and being named second-team All-Pro twice, while providing comparable production in spite of being taken more than 100 spots after Bosa."
RELATED: Raiders take (another) chance at adding Maxx Crosby running mate in 2026 mock
With another strong season or two, Crosby could surpass Bosa for pass-rushing supremacy in the 2019 class. He has become a fan favorite for Raider Nation, as well as the entire league.
"Crosby’s high-energy, heart-on-his-sleeve style has made him a fan favorite, even for some struggling Raiders teams," Edholm wrote. "The 2024 season saw Crosby miss games due to injury for the first time in his NFL career, but he remains at the peak of his powers heading into his age-28 season and figures to be among the leading candidates for Comeback Player of the Year in 2025."
Concerns about the level of competition that he played against in college, coming out of Eastern Michigan, were the driving force for Crosby's fall to Day 3 of the 2019 draft. Some teams might have seen just one double-digit sack season on his resume as a detriment as well.
Unearthing Crosby as a hidden gem heading into the 2019 draft would have required digging deep into tape or taking time to watch MAC games on a downspout broadcast channel on a Saturday afternoon.
He is just the kind of player that someone like Mayock would have found, and it is a good thing that he was the Raiders' general manager when he was. Otherwise, the team would be without one of its greatest defenders in franchise history.