When the Raiders traded away defensive star Khalil Mack, it opened up a huge opportunity to rebuild the team, but under the leadership of Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock, it ended up being a massive dissappointment.
Las Vegas waived 2021 first-round pick Alex Leatherwood on Tuesday after it was unable to find a trade partner for the offensive lineman, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapaport. The move costs the Raiders $7.9 million in their salary cap, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
ESPN’s Field Yates laid out the first-round picks the Raiders made during the time Gruden and Mayock worked together as head coach and general manger, respectively, and their status with Las Vegas after Tuesday.
Their 2019 class of first-round picks — defensive end Clelin Ferrell, running back Josh Jacobs and safety Jonathan Abram — are likely not going to be the with the team after this season. And their 2020 first-round picks — wide receiver Henry Ruggs III and cornerback Damon Arnette — were cut after serious off-field incidents. Leatherwood played one year for Las Vegas, but the No. 17 pick was cut.
The Raiders are also reportedly trading 2019 second-round pick Trayvon Mullen to the Arizona Cardinals, according to Schefter.
When Las Vegas traded Mack in 2018 to the Chicago Bears, it received 2019 and 2020 first-round picks, a 2020 third-round pick and a 2019 sixth-round pick. Those picks turned into Jacobs, Arnette, and Bryan Edwards, who was traded to the Falcons this past offseason, respectively — the 2019 sixth-round pick was traded away to the New York Jets.
It’s one thing to lose a trade, but to go 0-for-4 on draft picks is a different thing. Ferrell was seen as a reach at No. 4 in the 2019 NFL Draft and was taken over other defensive player like Devin White, Devin Bush and Rashan Gary. Las Vegas also went with Jacobs instead of wide receivers like A.J. Brown, Deebo Samuel or DK Metcalf.
In 2020, the Raiders missed out on Justin Jefferson, Jonathan Taylor, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Trevon Diggs.
While the Raiders remain in fine shape with Josh McDaniels as head coach, there was clearly lost potential to be a true contender due to mistakes made starting at the NFL Draft.
