The NFL draft is less than a week away and the Oakland Raiders still can’t gather their bearings. Per Ian Rapoport head coach Jon Gruden and general manager, Mike Mayock sent their scouts home and they are not expected to be back come draft day.
Sources: #Raiders coach Jon Gruden and GM Mike Mayock sent their scouts home for the weekend and they are not expected to return by draft time. The belief is they don’t know who to trust and wanted to clear the room.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 19, 2019
There is growing speculation that the Raiders have lost trust in some of their scouts. It’s common for a new front office to overhaul their scouting department with their own personnel. However, teams usually do this months before the draft.
Scounts are essential to a successful draft. They collaborate with the team GM and figure out who to pick and where. Mayock who was previously an NFL Network draft analyst better be prepared come Thursday because they have three first round picks. They pick at No. 4, 24, and 27.
The Raiders recently overhauled the majority of their roster and got rid of key pieces such as Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack. The success of this football program rides on this draft. If they miss on these picks trading two of their best players would seemingly be for nothing. The Raiders need to gather their thoughts and draft knowledge because this draft may reshape the future of their franchise.
The 2019 NFL Draft will take place between April 25 and April 27 in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville earned the honor of hosting the 84th annual player selection over cities Denver, Kansas City, Las Vegas, and Cleveland/Canton.