Exploring Why the Raiders Made an Eyebrow-Raising Cut

When the Raiders drafted Tommy Mellott in the sixth round of this year's NFL Draft, they did so with th expectation that he could potentially help the team on offense, or special teams. Mellott entered with a unique skill set, but also an uphill battle as a sixth round pick switching positions.

Not to mention, Mellott was tasked with making a significant jump in competition from Montana State to the National Football League. Making the 53-man roster would have been difficult for most players in his shoes.

Big Surprise

Mellott not making the roster was not all that surprising, but him not making the practice squad was somewhat of a surprise.

Following cutdown day , Raiders General Manager John Spytek explained why the Raiders moved on from Mellott.

"Well, I have a lot of respect for Tommy [Mellott], and there were a lot of hard decisions that we made the last couple days. And ultimately, our responsibility, Coach [Pete Carroll] and myself, is to put the best 53 and then 17 after that, and to get ready to win football games," Spytek said.

"And there's always a development part of that too, but there's a reality sometimes that who was most ready and who was furthest along and who could help this team win the most, and ultimately, we made some decisions that didn't include him for now."

Spytek explained how the conversation between he and Mellot went on cutdown day.

"When I talked to him yesterday – he's a great kid, he worked really, really hard to try to become an NFL wide receiver after being an FCS quarterback. I don't think people understand quite how hard that is," Spytek said.

"And unfortunately, this is not a field where there's a lot of patience all the time. And I still believe in Tommy. I think he's got a really bright future, and I really hope that he finds a place where he can find maybe a little more patience from a roster standpoint.

Spytek noted that moving on from Mellott also had a lot to do with how confident the Raiders are in the players they kept at positions Mellott could have realistically made an impact at.

"The other thing I would say, too, and this is to compliment Alex Guerrero, Chris Cortez, and our entire athletic training staff, we were very, very healthy. And a lot of times, those decisions get made for you. There's a lot of times where I've been in a wide receiver room where you have 15 guys, and next thing you know you're down to 10, and it's not that hard to make a decision," Spytek said.

"We had to make a decision between all the wide receivers that we brought to camp; they were all healthy at the end. So, unfortunately, it didn't work out here for Tommy right now. But I'm never saying never to him, and I wish him the best wherever he ends up."

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