With the 2019 NFL Draft less than a week away, most teams are finalizing their big boards and preparing to select the future players for their team. The Oakland Raiders, on the other hand, have sent all of their scouts home in a shocking turn of events.
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
According to NFL Network’s insider Ian Rapoport, both Jon Gruden and Raiders general manager Mike Mayock have sent their scouts home for the weekend, and the belief is that they won’t be returning by draft time. The thought by the team is that they simply don’t know who to trust, and are looking to “clear the room.”
While it’s not exactly abnormal for a new front office group to want to overhaul its scouting department, it is a bit odd to see this happening right before the NFL Draft, especially when all of the scouts had been working on the Raiders upcoming draft. The connection between a general manager and the scouting team is crucial to success, though, so if Mayock doesn’t feel like he can trust anyone, it’s probably the right move for him to want to overhaul everything.
The Raiders currently hold three first-round picks in the upcoming draft, with the 4th, 24th, and 27th overall picks all belonging to them. They also have picks in the second, fourth, fifth, and seventh rounds as well, and will be looking to make the most out of every pick. For a team like Oakland that needs a rebuild, this could be a make or break draft for everyone involved.
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