Raiders reportedly to hire NFL Draft analyst Mike Mayock as general manager
At this point, it appears Jon Gruden is either going to revolutionize or destroy the Raider franchise. There doesn’t seem to be much in between from the franchise’s head coach.
The former Monday Night Football analyst obviously knows what it’s like to go from the broadcast side of football to the actual playing field and now his franchise plans to take that same avenue in hiring its new general manager as reports suggest the Raiders plan to hire the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock. Mayock has served as the network’s main draft analyst for several years.
Apparently, Gruden liked the work Mayock did during the draft because the two will now be working side by side according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Prior to hiring Gruden, the Raiders had a successful general manager in Reggie McKenzie. The longtime NFL executive helped build Green Bay’s franchise into a consistent winner and appeared to be doing the same in Oakland before Gruden joined the franchise and gutted the roster. His most notable move was trading outside linebacker Khalil Mack to Chicago.
Oakland had no pass rush following the trade, while Mack has gone on to be arguably the NFL’s best defender this season for a Chicago team that’s done a total turnaround on the field this season.
Is it possible Gruden is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers? Potentially, but it’s also possible this hire proves to be a disaster.
Here are some of the best reactions immediately following the news:
Who other than Mike Mayock did the Raiders interview for G.M.? It's hard to feel good about a hiring process that has zero transparency.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 31, 2018
Mike Mayock revolutionized the NFL Draft (and the coverage leading up to it) for me as viewer given his intelligence, grind and depth of knowledge of prospects. Great career opportunity for him — a huge loss for NFLN. https://t.co/tp9mldUsHY
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) December 31, 2018
Mike Mayock
UPSIDE: Says cool stuff. oily hips, coud get messy if he gets sand in his pants. good in a phone booth,, like literaly good on the phone
DOWNSIDE: hes not Jon Gruden, so coud create some trust issues if he has to work with anyone named Jon Gruden— PFTCommenter (@PFTCommenter) December 31, 2018
So happy for Mike. His work ethic is off the charts. He’s a great fit with Gruden. https://t.co/4jHQmlabod
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) December 31, 2018