Raiders general manager Mike Mayock has given his coaches a lot of say in the scouting process, but he’s not worried about being overruled by a group led by Oakland’s eccentric head man, Jon Gruden.
“I’m the son of a coach, and I know how coaches think. And coaches think need,” Mayock said Thursday, according to The Athletic’s Jimmy Durkin. “We’re a coach-driven building. Our coaches are highly involved, and that’s good. I embrace that. The flip side is you can’t reach. You’ve got to use some common sense. And that’s what I preach.”
Mayock has gone to great lengths to bridge any divide between coaches and scouts after the departure of former GM, Reggie McKenzie, even giving coaches access to the scouts’ computers. He also handed out folders filled with scouting reports during the Senior Bowl, awaiting input from each coach.
Thankfully, Mayock knows their mindset, due to his father’s experience as a coach at the University of Pennsylvania. As Durkin pointed out in his article, the Raiders passed on talented safety Derwin James to draft offensive tackle Kolton Miller with the No. 15 overall choice last year.
James excelled in his rookie campaign. Miller struggled, though he fought through injury and still has the potential to live up to his draft stock.
But Mayock continues to show he may have been the perfect hire for the Raiders’ GM job. Though he knows it’s Gruden’s show, Mayock doesn’t seem hesitant to push back with his own opinion. It should come as second nature to him — he’s been dealing with a coach since birth.
Now, he and Gruden need to make their own relationship work and bring the Raiders some top-flight prospects later this month.
