The Las Vegas Raiders hired Mike Mayock to oversee their front office after the 2018 season finished. So far, he’s performed well and fans approve of the job he’s done.
After doing a subpar job, the Raiders let Reggie McKenzie go and brought Mayock in. Although some of the roster decisions he’s made haven’t panned out, he’s responsible for infusing youth in the team. In 2018, the Raiders had the oldest roster at the start of the season. Mayock changed that in his first year with the team. The front office released aging veterans such as tackle Donald Penn, safety Reggie Nelson and wide receiver Jordy Nelson. In turn, the team got contributions from youngsters such as Josh Jacobs, Hunter Renfrow and Trayvon Mullen. Furthermore, Mayock signed a couple of offensive line pillars in tackle Trent Brown and guard Richie Incognito.
The work didn’t stop in 2019 though. The players the Raiders got last season were not enough to push the team over the top and finished the year 7-9. For that reason, Mayock continued his haul this past offseason. Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkowski, among others, signed with the team in free agency. Then, the team drafted a couple of wide receivers in Henry Riggs III and Bryan Edwards. Also, they added Lynn Bowser Jr, which they envision to use in a Swiss Army knife kind of role.
It’s not surprising to see Raiders fans support Mayock’s mostly successful tenure with the team. After a few years of futility under McKenzie, there seems to be a feeling of excitement among the team’s fanbase.
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In Mayock We Trust, Raiders
In a joint article, Tashaan Reed and Vic Tafur of the Athletic surveyed Raider Nation regarding the state of the team. The writers found out that reception towards Mayock is pretty much positive. In a scale from one to 10, the general manager got an eight.
“Mayock is wrapping up his second offseason after taking over as general manager in December 2018 and, according to respondents, is doing an excellent job. He was graded as an 8 to 10 by 80.2 percent of respondents,” the duo wrote.
He’s largely credited for his scouting and drafting ability. He landed instant contributors such as Josh Jacobs, Maxx Crosby and Hunter Renfrow in his first draft in 2019. Also from that class, Clelin Ferrell and Johnathan Abram project to be full-time starters in 2020. While there was some contention among fans over using first-round picks on Ruggs and Arnette in 2020, the prevailing mood is that Mayock brought in yet another strong class and remained on the right track.
After McKenzie’s successful 2014 draft haul, the former general manager failed to restock the team with playmakers. To the contrary, Mayock has been quick to replenish the roster in his first two years on the job. Even though not every move he’s made has panned out some misses (Antonio Brown), most of the moves he’s made have benefited the Raiders.
Despite the fact there are fans that support a team no matter what, Mike Mayock is proving something that remains true. As long as a team keeps winning, support will not waver, and Mayock has recently been doing that off the field.
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I think he is overrated for only one season under his belt. He reached for Ferrell which looks like a miss at 4. Abram is a small, reckless tackler who got lost for the whole season and could miss more time due to his style of play. Jacobs is a RB in the first round which is a high place to pick a position with such a short shelf life especially when quality backs can be found later in the draft. He did well in the late rounds but early rounds are the ones we need to hit. And again this year we reached to get Arnette. I’m rooting for Mayock, but just looking at Reggie and how that worked out after all the optimism. Too soon to tell if mayock
You may be into something. I think the reason Raiders Nation like Mayock so much is the fact he brought in so many players that had an impact right away. On the other hand, you’re right, he’s been with the team just one year. Success in one draft doesn’t guarantee a good haul in the next one. Micky Loomis of the Saints is proof of that. After one great draft in 2006, he missed plenty of picks in the following years. John Schneider is another example. Great picks in 2012 and then futility the next few years.