The Raiders have made more than their share of bad draft picks in recent years, but Rolando McClain deserves an asterisk next his name on the Raiders’ list of all-time bad picks.
McClain may have had a disastrous pro career, but if it weren’t for McClain, the Raiders may have never ended up with arguably the best tight end in the NFL.
Not long after the Raiders released Rolando McClain, the former Alabama linebacker re-emerged with the Baltimore Ravens. McClain never played a game in Baltimore, but the Ravens traded him a year later in a swap that sent a 6th-round pick from Dallas to Baltimore. That 6th-round pick in 2015 ended up being Darren Waller, who was on the Ravens practice squad in November of 2018 when the Raiders traveled to Baltimore to play the Ravens. It was before that game that Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson watched Waller warm up, which led to the Raiders to sign Waller from the Ravens’ practice squad later in the week.
The Raiders, of course, didn’t have to draft McClain to end up with Waller, but it’s at least ironic that McClain played a role in Waller ending up with the Raiders.
Waller has produced consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with the Raiders and is under contract with the team through the 2023 season. His four-year, $29.8 million deal is arguably one of the most team-friendly deals in the NFL. Considering his history of battling substance abuse, the Raiders took a gamble by signing Waller to a long-term deal… but you can be sure that no one within the organization is regretting it.
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