NFL
By: Edwin Duodu
When you’re enamored by a player, no matter what the circumstances, chances are you’ll draft him. The Las Vegas Raiders, under Mike Mayock, are the perfect examples of that philosophy. It doesn’t matter who the best available player is at the time. It doesn’t matter if the player is rated lower by draft analysts. All that matters is what that player ranks on their board, which is obviously understandable. However, Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have once again ignored the possibility of taking a player that is the best option available that also fills a need on the team.
Think back to the boat-load of picks the Raiders acquired from the Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper trades. In hindsight, they were great moves, as the team chose to move in a different direction with the possibility of filling other holes on the team. But what have they exactly turned into?
Henry Ruggs III, Clelin Ferrell, Damon Arnette, and now Alex Leatherwood. All still are young players that have a chance to succeed. They shouldn’t immediately be labeled as busts just yet. However, all three have gotten off to a shaky start in their first couple of seasons. Rugg’s has the best production out of the entire group so far. Although it was far from great, he still amounted to 26 receptions for 452 yards and two touchdowns. Ruggs, on the other hand, wasn’t the best wide receiver available. Las Vegas elected to choose him over Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb. Clelin Ferrell drafted fourth overall, has produced 6.5 career sacks and 65 tackles in two seasons. Last year, he also played 11 games last season. Damon Arnette, another over-drafted player, endured one of the worst seasons for his rookie class, grading among the lowest for a cornerback. Arnette ranked No. 118 out of 126 qualifying cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s also dealt with injuries early, only playing nine in his rookie season.
Now we come to the latest pick by Mayock, selecting Alex Leatherwood in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Raiders selected him with the 17th overall pick but once again made another mistake of over-drafting players. Leatherwood had a 60% of being available in the second round. He was Mel Kiper’s 10th-ranked offensive tackle and No. 62 overall on his board. The hope is probably for Leatherwood to play guard, as this year’s class isn’t very deep at that position. Still, there were numerous beliefs that the Raiders could’ve taken another impact player while waiting for the Alabama tackle to fall to them in the second round at No. 48. A trade-up in the second round would’ve also been a much better option than selecting him at No. 17, but his impact remains to be seen. Who knows, Alex Leatherwood could turn out to be a great pick, proving doubters wrong and having great production for the Raiders this upcoming season. If not, he’ll join the rest of the cast of the first-rounders who haven’t lived up to expectations.
