For Raiders draft picks what happens in Vegas won’t stay in Vegas.
It will be an interesting juxtaposition. With the Raiders headed for Las Vegas this year, the NFL jumped at the chance to hold the draft there. They jumped so quickly, they beat the Raiders to the spot.
So, while the glitz and glamour of Vegas will welcome a host of new rookies to the NFL, those rookies who take the stage to represent the team which bears that city’s name will have their selection made from back in Oakland then get on a plane to meet their new head coach and General Manager.
GM Mike Mayock would just as well stay away from the festivities of the draft anyway.
“I think I get a little nervous when you start talking about Mekhi Becton in a boat going to the Bellagio. That kind of stuff makes me a little nervous,” said Mayock. “And if you remember any of my work at the NFL Network, I don’t really like a lot of the sideshow stuff,”
In case you were wondering, Becton is a 6-6, 300-pound offensive tackle out of Louisville. And the boat Mayock is referring to is the small barge that will be transporting NFL draft prospects to the red carpet that will be in the middle of the Bellagio fountain right off Las Vegas Avenue. Only in Vegas, man.
“From where I sit now I think it’s going to be exciting as hell in Vegas,” Mayock continued. “I think people are going to love the backdrop to the whole thing. I think the excitement for the city is awesome, but for me and my department it’s business as usual and we’re probably going to be in Alameda. We’re probably not going to be set up in Vegas yet and we’re going to be in our draft room in Alameda.”
The team’s new facility is nearing completion. And with the draft just a couple months away, even if it is up functional by then, it would be a tough task to move everything in and then assure the draft goes smoothly in a new space.
As it stands, the first time the Raiders have said they would have a presence in Vegas was for their June minicamp. And even then it sounds like they will come to town for just the minicamp, with OTA’s happening at their Alameda facility, training camp in Napa, and the team making their full, official move-in August.
