The Las Vegas Raiders shocked many folks including their own fan base when they made Alabama’s Alex Leatherwood the 17th overall pick and things got even weirder following reports of internal strife.
Dysfunction within the Silver and Black is really nothing new. The organization has sadly become synonymous with this over the last 20 years or so. You wouldn’t have guessed the front office was dysfunctional judging from last night’s broadcast.
Obviously, many among the team’s fan base did not love the selection upon announcement. Either way, general manager Mike Mayock was quick to defend it later on in the evening via a presser. Nevertheless, word began circulating of a rift within the front office, so much that apparently ‘heads would roll.’
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It’s all a bunch of ‘BS’ according to Raiders’ media…
Naturally, news outlets were quick to comment on the report by Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network. Vic Tafur of the Athletic chimed in on the matter after rumors arose. Essentially, he called it low-hanging fruit and noted that the front office was united in the Leatherwood pick. Bay Area writer Jerry McDonald also weighed in, noting that Mayock stated that offensive line coach Tom Cable was the driving force behind Leatherwood’s selection. This is interesting, essentially. it appears Cable might be the most powerful voice in the Raiders’ war room other than Jon Gruden.
Regardless, Mayock went on to emphasize that he knew the pick would receive heavy criticism. Oh, boy did it ever, by both the media and fans alike, acknowledging that the selection was dubbed a reach by analysts.
Essentially the consensus appeared to be that Leatherwood was a player that would’ve been available in the second round. He reiterated that the front office and scouting department was pretty much in unison. For now, Mayock, Gruden, and the rest of the Raiders’ brass are busy rounding up the rest of draft weekend.
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*Top Photo: Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
