The Oakland Raiders could have given up on their season after their four-loss midseason collapse. Instead, they showed against the Los Angeles Chargers they still have fight in them and are more concerned about winning games and evaluating current players than draft slots.
This has definitely been an emotional rollercoaster for Raider Nation. With low expectations before the season started combined with the Antonio Brown fiasco, the Raiders started playing good enough to earn a 6-4 record. Playoffs were a trending topic and then, the team faltered and began a losing streak.
After losing four games in a row, it would have been fair to tune out and start planning for the 2020 NFL Draft, which kind of makes sense as the more the Raiders lose, the higher their picks would be and if they can’t win right now, why not set position themselves to get a prime player. After all, the higher the selection, the chances to draft a difference maker increase.
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However, there are some flaws in that logic.
First, no player in their right mind would accept to lose intentionally and later see the team bring in their replacement. There might be some that are unhappy with their current team, but there are a finite number of jobs in the NFL and having a job triumphs being unemployed.
More importantly, good general managers can get around draft positioning. They are evaluating current and potential talent all the time. To them, a player that doesn’t give their best isn’t part of the team’s long-term plans. Moreover, they can always move up in the draft.
Because of his background as an analyst, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock knows better than anyone picking players is a crapshoot and talent can be had at any point in the first.. or second or lower rounds of the draft. It would be narrow-minded to lock on a player when there will be plenty available to choose from.
Oakland’s coaching staff and scouting department have made many baffling decisions, but let it be assured that at least, the Raiders will finish the 2019 NFL season by going out swinging. Draft positioning be damned!
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