It’s that time of year where everyone seems to have an opinion on the draft. This year, the Raiders draft has taken heavy criticism from the draft experts, but it’s important to remember that these are only opinions.
With that in mind, it’s the offseason and there isn’t a lot to talk about, so here is one of the greatest ever freezing cold draft takes and it came from 95.7 The Game’s Damon Bruce after the Raiders drafted Khalil Mack in 2014.
An OLB from Buffalo that NOBODY heard of six weeks ago, was just taken before guy who ripped up the SEC. Good luck #Raiders
— Damon Bruce (@DamonBruce) May 9, 2014
Now this isn’t an effort to shame Bruce, who isn’t a draft expert and doesn’t claim to be.
Nevertheless, he had a strong opinion on the Raiders passing on Johnny Manziel and his four year-old take hasn’t aged well. Mack has become arguably the best defensive player in football and Manziel is playing football in Canada now that he has abandoned the high life.
So good pick, Reggie McKenzie. Now give the man his $80 million guaranteed and lets move on with the program.
Oh, and for what it’s worth… if the Raiders had drafted Manziel with the first-round pick used on Mack, that means they would have passed on Derek Carr in the second round.
Talk about disaster!
twitter: @raidersbeat
Anyone who pays the least bit of attention to Damon Bruce deserves what he gets. I am sorry that 95.7 The Game hired him because it means that the afternoon is a no-go zone. His shtick is hate and misogyny, which reminds me of someone with Orange Skin.
Be careful of what you post on the internet…. nothing can ever get erased, it’s there forever! Mr. Bruce did offer “Good Luck” and that is EXACTLY what we got by dodging the Johnny catastrophe !!!
LOL ….Ok. Well, how about digging up some old tweets on the majority of Reggie’s OTHER top-end picks (round 1-4) and see they aged since, let’s say, 2015?
2015:
Round 1: Amari Cooper
Round 2: Mario Edwards Jr
Round 3: Clive Walford
Round 4: Jon Feliciano
2016:
Round 1 : Karl Joseph
Round 2: Jihad Ward
Round 3: Shilique Calhoun
Round 4: Connor Cook
2017:
Round 1: Gareon Conley
Round 2: Obi Melifonwu
Round 3: Eddie Vanderdoes
Round 4: David Sharpe
2015 is trash, except for Cooper and *maybe* a rotational linemen in MEJ
2016 is also trash, except for backup Safety who is too small to do much of anything
2017 only brings us Conley, who *might be* a legit CB, along with Mr Combine Hero who could be cut anytime soon.
Reggie McKenzie has ridden the success of the 2014 draft like a mo-fo! Dude should have been canned by now with so many wasted top-end picks!
Dude Mike, you are so off base its not even a little bit funny. MEJ is a solid rotational player and Cooper has the potential to be a top 3 WR in the league… that’s not trash you’re just a hater. Karl Joseph has been compared to Brian Dawkins, all you can judge is the little you know of him, which happens to only be his height. Jihad Ward and Shilique Calhoun are rotational linemen with potential – 2016 was a slow draft because our position was low on the board and we needed help defending the pass. in 2017 we got Conley who is good enough to be CB 1 and Obi Melifonwu is one of the most versatile defenders in the back end. Eddie Vanderdoes was also a great pick showing size and speed through the line. Your comment screams hater – most of these players had no room for a starting position – I can’t wait to see how they all turn out
Couple things wrong here:
2015: Walford wasn’t bad – JDR didn’t use him and we have Cook now. Feliciano has filled in with success at G and C when needed (he’s a 4th round pick, that’s not a waste)
2016: Joseph is a FS and has NEVER been placed at FS. KNJ had him at SS covering TEs with 4+ inches on him, that’s not what made him successful in college. He’s a ballhawk center fielder, not an enforcer. Calhoun played a Mich State 100% at DE – then KNJ had him exclusively playing OLB. He had never played that position and you expect him to be a world beater? No, just no. He’s moved back to DE now so we can finally see what he’s got. Ward was a wasted pick and Cook, who knows. He’s depth.
2017: If Conley comes as advertised, he could be better than Lattimore (DROY). Obi, same as Conley, just isn’t healthy – how are either of these Reggie’s fault? Eddie was a solid DT for us and then tore his ACL – but I guess you blame these injuries on Reggie lol. Sharpe was better at RT last year than Newhouse IIRC.
Stop acting like Reggie has no clue what he’s doing. He’s great with cap/contracts, has drafted what should have been solid players but either a) the horrible coaching staff we had didn’t use them / use them correctly OR they’ve gotten hurt. Reggie doesn’t control these factors.
All but Two players are still on the team so it’s too early to judge. Karl Josephs is a very good safety that has been played out of position thanks to a lame DC tgat put him against TEs a foot taller than him. Guenthers scheme should suit him much better. I do agree that the rest of the 2016 draft looks like crap. The 2017 draft might work out fine (If Obi gets his *** back on the field). In the limited time we saw Conley he has all the makings of a legit number one corner. And they got him with pick 24. Vanderdoes had some decent moments but his knees are a huge concern. Sharpe looks like a good pick in the fourth.
Every single 1st Rd pick is a starter, not a wasted pick, which in itself isn’t easy to do. JDR and his position coach Sal Sansuri had a lot of influence over the 2015 picks, which was not only admitted but evidenced by all the Florida players selected…..which is where Sal worked b4 Oakland. Ward and David Sharpe were also JDR favored picks. The problem here is that the coaches have been allowed too much influence over the drafts, which is why RM still has a job. His picks have been mostly hits, the 2014 class the only draft where he wielded majority power. Add in that JDR was notoriously poor at developing young talent, and its no wonder the drafts themselves have looked mediocre since ’14. RM will probably be fired soon, so you’ll get what you want, since that’s what Gruden does (gets rid of incumbents, hires yes men), and then we’ll be stuck with Gruden drafts (Gruden and Cable picked Miller, while RM wanted James, which even now was obviously the better pick. Gruden said on a conference call that Key and Hurst were all McKenzie, which not so coincidentally look like the picks that could save this draft class. Imagine if RM could’ve picked James too). RM will get hired somewhere else, get actual GM power, and build a monster. Then the haters can blame MD for ever getting rid of him.
So true. We have wasted EVERY 2nd round pick and nearly every 1st round pick since 2014. RM is a terrible talent evaluator and should be fired. This last draft is on Gruden mostly, but Mckenzie should be shown the door regardless.
I think Feliciano is a quality backup who can play a few spots on the line so that ended up being a decent grab. I think players like Joseph and Calhoun were not utilized correctly. Joseph isn’t an in the box type of safety that covers the tight end and Calhoun isn’t a linebacker. Hopefully a competent coach will use these players in a way that maximizes their abilities and potential and we see how good they really are. I also think Vanderdoes could be a solid rotational guy in the interior line with MEJ, Hurst, and Hall. As long as MEJ and Vanderdoes stay healthy we could have a strong line finally with a good dose of rushers and pushers that can cause some disruption.
Not too sure about Connor Cook, we saw walford and ward leave, and you all saw Gruden’s comments on Obi. Sharpe is an extra project lineman in what now seems like crowded room with crazy Cable running the show.
Your an idiot.yur talking guys that have been in the league for 3 yrs and less. Let em pan out schmuck .theyte all still in the league for a reason.not in canada like johnny
Part of the reason some of these picks haven’t panned out is coaching . Joseph was a free safety in college and should have been left there as a pro . Walford was never developed properly but Feliciano is a good swiss army lineman . He’s no pro bowler but fills in admirably when called upon . Jihad Ward was a terrible pick . No way around that one . Vanderdoes could still turn out to be a good rotational player . It’s only year 2 for him . Hard to judge Cook . He is playing behind Carr and was largely ignored by the previous coaching staff . The rest of these guys just can’t play but the guys I mentioned could still end up being good players with good coaching , even if Walford is gone . There aren’t many elite tight ends in the NFL but there are a lot of solid ones .He could still become a quality player at that position .
2015 – MEJ is decent when he is on the field. Never had a injury history in college so u can’t totally put that one on RM. And Feliciano grades out as a very solid backup which is necessary in the NFL should one of the Raiders interior lineman get injured (which knock on wood has not happened).
2016- Joseph grades out as a solid starter at S. But the other 3 listed stink.
2017 – Too early to tell.
But the GM position is not only the draft and certainly not the just the first 4 picks. Also includes UDFA’s and FA. The Raiders have a playoff caliber roster and underachieved last year based solely on coaching in my opinion.