On Monday night, the Oakland Raiders added to their receiving corps by trading for former 2017 second-round pick Zay Jones of the Buffalo Bills. While Jones has had a disappointing start to his career, he has a lot of fans in the Raiders’ building, including general manager Mike Mayock.
Heading into the 2017 draft, Jones was Mayock’s fourth-highest graded receiver, over the likes of Juju Smith-Schuster and Cooper Kupp. While it’s clear that Smith-Schuster and Kupp have had better careers so far, it’s fascinating to see just how much Mayock loved Jones. Take a look at how Mayock ranked his receivers entering the 2017 draft:
1. Mike Williams, Clemson
2. John Ross, Washington
3. Corey Davis, Western Michigan
4. Zay Jones, East Carolina
T-5. JuJu Smith-Schuster, USC
T-5. Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington
In three seasons, Jones has caught just 90 passes for 1,037 yards and nine touchdowns. His best season came in 2018, where he caught 56 passes for 652 yards and seven touchdowns.
Could a change in scenery be what Jones needs to turn his career around? Obviously, Mayock thinks so, or he wouldn’t have traded for the former East Carolina receiver. It will be fascinating to see how Jones’ fits in Jon Gruden’s offense.
