Michael Mayock: A promising calm in a burning dumpster fire

When Mark Davis donned his finest suit and signature bowl cut to introduce Jon Gruden as the new head coach of the then Oakland Raiders in 2018, a promise was made. In exchange for his return, Gruden would have full control of the Raiders and if anyone had any questions, they could look at his 10 year, 100 million dollar contract as evidence of who ran the show. Then GM Reggie McKenzie was promptly shown the door and in his place was Mike Mayock. Mayock, a broadcasting veteran spent a total of zero years as an NFL executive before being given the keys to the franchise. Mayock’s resume was simple, a long time draft analyst. His job, also simple. Provide analysis on top draft prospects and work to see Gruden’s dreams come true. It’s unsure what players Mayock had a hand in drafting but one thing was simple, if the Raiders were a sleek black Bentley, hell would have to freeze over for him to drive it and those keys, symbolic. It was Gruden’s show and with it saw the departures of All-Pro Khalil Mack, Pro Bowler Amari Cooper and NFL punting yards leader Marquette King. In return, Gruden received a whole host of draft picks and with it, Gruden hand selected first rounders Kolten Miller, Clelin Ferrell, Josh Jacobs, Johnathan Abrams, Henry Ruggs III, Damon Arnette and Alex Leatherwood. Remember when I said Mayock would need hell to freeze over to have complete control over personnel decisions? Well it has.

Gruden was unceremoniously forced to resign when an investigation into the Washington Football Team discovered Gruden sent emails to then Washington President Bruce Allen. Laced with racist, sexist and homophobic rhetoric, compounded by insulting language towards NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Gruden was subsequently shown the door by the league. And for Gruden’s draft success? Both Henry Ruggs III and Damon Arnette were released in the past two weeks. Ruggs for vehicular manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol and Arnette for making threats via social media while brandishing a firearm. Many consider Ferrell a bust, Abram a reach and Jacobs a risk as he’s found slight difficulty in staying on the field along with Jacobs crashing his sports car while speeding at the end of last season. Leatherwood who played left tackle in college was moved to right tackle where he has struggled and now hopes to reignite his lofty career expectations at guard. Quite frankly, Gruden’s draft history is riddled with misses and players taken higher then their worth. Gruden also had a claim that he wanted high character players but with the actions of Jacobs, Ruggs and Arnette along with signing Richie Incognito who was found to have bullied former players in the past, Vontaze Burfict who was suspended indefinitely by the NFL and lets not forget the Antonio Brown debacle. The moral of the story is that the Gruden experiment has failed miserably.

Now comes in Mike Mayock. Since Gruden’s firing, the Raiders have gone 2-1 under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia and are in the midst of a playoff push lead by quarterback Derek Carr and edge rusher Maxx Crosby. The Raiders have talent. Carr and Crosby, a top 5 tight end in Darren Waller, an elite slot receiver in Hunter Renfrow along with a burgeoning defensive line led by Crosby but outlined with key players such as Pro Bowler Yannick Ngakoue, Carl Nassib, Solomon Thomas along with a rotation of talented defensive tackles. However, the Raiders lack depth and talent in various positions such as receiver, cornerback and tackle. With Gruden being gone, the job rests on Mayock’s shoulders and I believe he will deliver.

Mike Mayock isn’t someone who likes to take gambles. He’s quite conservative in player selections and if the Raiders went by what the experts were saying, they would have a boatload of talent. Mayock came from an analyst job, those analysts are his friends and his track record suggests he’ll agree with most of their opinions. Right now, the Raiders are trying to piece together a team but with an offseason of potential looming, Mayock will be able to select his coach, his players and now the keys to the Bentley work ever so beautifully when it isn’t driven into the ground by a coach who priortized being in control over being a champion.