Raiders NFL Draft: Day 1 misses continue to haunt the Silver and Black

With the 2023 NFL Draft only weeks away, the Las Vegas Raiders have the kind of draft capital they need to turn around the fortunes of the franchise, but will they get it done?

When Jon Gruden returned to the Raiders franchise, it was seen as the dawn of a new day for the Silver and Black. Gruden was the one who got away from the organization, a phenom of a young head coach who led the Raiders back to relevancy in the AFC.

However, his run with the team would end in him being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team he then led to a Super Bowl title over the Raiders the following season. Upon his return, Raider Nation finally felt they had the right man at the helm, only to see his run end with a dismissal due to some unearthed emails.

During his second run with the team, Gruden went right to work on the roster, trading top talent to get back a ton of elite draft capital. Las Vegas held one first round pick in 2018, but then five across the next two drafts, the kind of haul that should have brough them back to the top of the conference.

Unfortunately, Gruden and Mike Mayock swung and missed on nearly every pick, and those failures continue to haunt the organization. Guys like Clelin Ferrell, Henry Ruggs III, Damon Arnette, Johnathan Abram, and Alex Leatherwood produced next to nothing in the Silver and Black, with Josh Jacobs being the only hit for the regime.

Going into the 2023 NFL Draft, new general manager David Ziegler has amassed some elite draft capital as well, but can he actually do anything with it?

Can the Raiders finally get it right on Day 1?

Those misses by Mayock and Gruden are inexcusable, as Mayock came to the organization as a 'draft expert,' and Gruden was seen as the savior for the franchise. If Ziegler is to move this organization in the right direction, it starts on Day 1 this April, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

For Raider Nation, those picks are a memory they would like to forget, as there was so much hope back then, especially with the opportunity to bring in high-level talent in the first round. Ziegler will be tasked with avoiding the pitfalls of the previous regime, a task that may be too much for him to overcome in his first draft season holding a

After all those picks, Las Vegas is nowhere closer to a Super Bowl than they were in 2018, when Gruden returned to the organization. Missing on so many picks can set a franchise back years, but hopefully, Ziegler and Josh McDaniels find the right formula this April to right the wrongs and bring in young players that can be cornerstones for years to come.