The story of Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock’s scouting and drafting “prowess” continues to take hits left and right. Even though Trayvon Mullen was shipped by the Las Vegas Raiders to the Arizona Cardinals prior to the regular season, getting waived by them is another black eye on an already much-maligned legacy.
The 2020 draft class was recently in the news yet again as John Simpson was waived with no teams picking him up. There’s literally only one player left from that group: cornerback Amik Robertson. While the 2020 group has already been dubbed one of the worst in NFL history, the 2019 class is a bit more puzzling and difficult to judge. The Raiders’ brain trust did a remarkable job of landing talent in the mid-rounds, most notably defensive end Maxx Crosby. Josh Jacobs, the league’s leading rusher, is also a member of that class. The problem is that the Gruden-Mayock combine did a horrendous job of whiffing on so many valuable first-round picks. Johnathan Abram is gone, one of the first-round picks from 2019, and Clelin Ferrell’s future is in serious doubt after failing to live up to expectations as the fourth overall pick.
They will live in Raiders’ infamy…
That trio of picks is likely going to go down in Raiders’ infamy, sorry Jacobs. Meanwhile, Mullen was initially seen as a steal in the fourth round of 2019. He quickly rose to prominence as a starting cornerback. Unfortunately, injuries eventually got the best of him, and ever since, he’s never been the same player he was his first two years. Even with the Cardinals, health issues continued. He only managed eight appearances this season. With a 55.3 Pro Football Focus coverage grade to his credit, it seemed like he was a shell of himself. When he was targeted this season, Mullen gave up a reception on all nine targets that came his way, two of them going for touchdowns.
As for the Raiders, at least they got a seventh-round pick in return. Had Mullen played two more games, that selection would have turned into a sixth-round choice.
Is the 2019 class headed for a similar fate as the 2020 debacle?
This upcoming offseason will likely determine how the new Raiders’ management values what remains of the 2019 class. Crosby is signed long-term, so he’s safe. As mentioned before, will the team keep Ferrell around? His recent gaffe on Thursday Night Football didn’t help his case. Then you have Jacobs; his fate will be the story of the 2023 NFL offseason. Meanwhile, you have to wonder if Foster Moreau and Hunter Renfrow have become expendable in McDaniels’ system. The jury is sealed on the 2020 group, but what about 2019?
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