It’s been just over three years since Mike Mayock was fired as GM of the Raiders, but he still has insights into his former team, and he was asked last week about the direction the Raiders are headed under Tom Brady, John Spytek and Pete Carroll.
In an exclusive interview with Betway, Mayock shared his thoughts on the Raiders’ offseason and praised the team for re-signing a pair his former draft picks.
“I think you have to be a fan of the moves they’ve made so far,” Mayock said. “What I really liked was how they solidified and improved the defensive line, which might be one of the better ones in the league. You extend Maxx Crosby, we drafted a kid named Malcolm Koonce who had eight sacks two years ago and what was one of the rising young defensive ends in the NFL.”
“[Koonce] got hurt last year, didn’t play, but they were able to sign him to a one-year, $12m ‘prove it’ deal. This kid’s exciting. If you pair him with Maxx and try and get something out of Tyree Wilson, that three-man rotation along with Christian Wilkins inside is outstanding,” Mayock continued.
“I think their defensive line and ability to rush the quarterback in a division that has some tremendous quarterbacks is a really good place to start. They signed an offensive guard, Alex Kappa, which allows them to move Jackson Powers-Johnson from guard to center, which is his more natural position that solidifies their offensive line. O-line and D-line is a good place to start, so I think they’re already an improved team from last year.”
As for who Mayock thinks the Raiders should target with the no. 6 pick, he believes the team should take a page out of his playbook and draft a running back in the first round.
“We drafted Josh Jacobs there, which was kind of the perfect fit for Jon Gruden and what he wanted to do. I think Ashton Jeanty from Boise State would be an ideal fit for what Pete Carroll wants to do. [In Seattle] Pete always ran the football downhill, physical, used play action with Russell Wilson. That was their identity, so I love the Ashton Jeanty fit there,” Mayock said.
To this point in the pre-draft process, no player has been linked to the Raiders more than Jeanty and the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vinny Bonsignore has been endorsing the potential pick for weeks.
Bonsignore believes the addition of Geno Smith only raises the odds Jeanty will end up in Las Vegas.
There was a chance Jeanty could go to the Raiders even without a clear starting quarterback on the roster, but with Smith now in the building, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a head coach like Carroll, who values the running back position, take the best running back in the draft next month.
If not Jeanty, keep an eye on North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton. He’s the no. 2 running back on many draft boards and Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said last month that some teams have him ranked as a higher prospect than Jeanty.
x: @raidersbeat
Jeanty should not be the pick. WR and than qb should be the picks unless 1 of the qb’s falls to 6th.
WRONG! QB in the later rounds. Take a WR, and get a RB in the 2nd round
Three Wilson is a bust and Koomce is coming off a catastrophic injury. The whole group is one giant question mark outside of Maxx.
We should be targeting EDGE st 6, specifically Mike Green.
Coach Biden Is definitely drafting Jeanty though. He wants to run.
Why don’t you go back to the flock of sheep you chant with.
I’ll chant for your conversion from your homosexual lifestyle.
I like Mike Green but not at 6 maybe a trade down scenario Green makes sense, if we go edge I believe the pick would be Jaylon Walker he can rush the passer and play inside linebacker something we desperately need on defense.
With the Raiders nothing or no one is a for sure thing on draft day!! We have made some of the most baffling and confusing picks I have ever seen a team do. I have never seen anyone but the Raiders make a pick and everyone says ‘Who Is That’!! They use high draft picks on players like Darius Haywood Bey,Clelin Ferrell, Alex Leatherwood and so on and so forth. You just don’t know with them. Even last year taking Brock Bowers was a shock only because everyone knew who he was and we had already taken a good TE the year before. But he was the best player available mentality which why I still don’t get firing Telisco for doing his job!!
Bowers was the BPA. And it obviously was a home run. It was only a shock for those without a clue.
Because telesco didn’t fully do his job, he failed to extend player contracts in season which caused the raiders to lose a lot in F/A Mark Davis answered yur question with his statement “The draft is not the only job the GM is responsible for, there are other duties he has which he failed to do” now you may not agree with MD but he’s answered that question long ago
He also refused to trade up for Jayden Daniels, and his answer @ QB was Gardner Minshew, if that doesn’t answer yur question then you really didn’t have one, you just wanted to make a statement
There was no way in H..L the Commanders were trading that pick a lot of Raider fans hate on Telescoe for not trading up, but you gotta have a partner to trade with and that #2 pick was not an option. So please get that through your thick skulls lmao
I like and respect Mayock. Totally disagree with a solidified OL. Graham or the best OT at 6. Better yet trade back with Dallas or NO get an extra pick and likely still go that route. Can get a good back in this draft in the third round.
They make a waiver wire acquisition, Kappa, and now all of a sudden the OL is “solidified”!!?? Not surprised that Mayock thinks this, after all, he did draft Leatherwood. The OL still needs a lot of work, hopefully they address that in the draft.
Josh Jacobs 40 time was 4.65. Cam Skattebo ran about the same time. It is baffling that he is graded as a third round pick. He reminds me of Beast Mode. The tape on him shows a tough, hard runner that played tougher competition than Jeanty and is maybe the best receiver out of the backfield in this draft. Take Skattebo in the third, draft big uglies in rounds 1 & 2.
Totally agree. That dude has more innate skills.
Because telesco didn’t fully do his job, he failed to extend player contracts in season which caused the raiders to lose a lot in F/A Mark Davis answered yur question with his statement “The draft is not the only job the GM is responsible for, there are other duties he has which he failed to do” now you may not agree with MD but he’s answered that question long ago
I hope they draft a QB with their 6th pick IF one is available. If not look to shore up the offensive line. The offensive line hasn’t been able to pass block in quite a while. Last look to draft a running back, because the Raiders messed up by letting Josh Jacob’s get away .
If the Raiders are hell bent on drafting a RB in the first round at least be smart about it. They should trade down ahead of Denver and draft Omarion Hampton. They could pick up another 2nd and 4th round pick. Valuable picks!
No way n hell u draft a quarterback with the 6 pick! Just paid geno smith 3years with all the other needs!!