The Las Vegas Raiders traded star tight end Darren Waller to the New York Giants earlier this offseason. Now, they have found the next tight end to take the reins in the Sin City.

The Raiders drafted Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer with the 35th pick. Las Vegas acquired the 35th pick from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for picks 38 and 141 in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Mayer's availability at this point in the draft came as a bit of a surprise. Many had the Notre Dame product as the best tight end on the board. And there was an expectation that he'd hear his name called in the first round.

Mayer led the Fighting Irish in receptions during the 2020 season. He went on to set the single-season school record for receiving yards by a tight end in 2021. This set him up for a highly anticipated 2022 campaign.

And Mayer more than delivered. He caught 67 passes and racked up 809 yards in 2022. Additionally, he caught nine touchdowns for the Fighting Irish, setting a new single-season school record for tight ends.

Mayer is the third tight end off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Buffalo Bill selected Utah's Dalton Kincaid in the first round. And the Detroit Lions selected Iowa's Sam LaPorta with the 34th pick in the draft.

Mayer heads to Las Vegas to play for a team with a new quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo is the man under center for the Black and Silver after the release of Derek Carr.

Mayer has all the tools to be successful in the NFL. He adds another pass-catching threat to the Raiders offense, which is certainly going to have Raiders fans fired up.