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ALAMEDA, Calif. – As promised, Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock delivered a sure-fire surprise as they worked their first collaborative draft for the Oakland Raiders.
No, they didn’t shock the world by taking quarterback.
They didn’t trade away another proven vet – you’re safe, Derek Carr -- to add to their cache of first-round picks.
And surely, Mayock, the rookie GM, didn’t bring back the scouts he sent home last weekend for a last-minute review of the mighty Raiders Draft Board.
Instead, they turned in the card for…Clelin Ferrell.
If you projected the Clemson defensive end to be chosen with the fourth pick overall on Thursday night, then you too, should be moving with the Raiders to Las Vegas.
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Never mind the mock drafts. Ferrell, despite his presence as a leader and sack machine for two national championship teams, was not even ranked as a top-10 pick on the cottage industry tip sheets.
Now he’s proof that Mayock’s mock draft looked a lot different than yours.
The selection of Ferrell prompted puzzled looks from Raiders fans caught on camera while attending the draft on the streets of Nashville. It ignited a flood of second-guessing on Twitter. And it left at least one of the TV draft analysts wondering if Mayock was unable to contain Gruden from himself.
Even Ferrell, a two-time first-team All-America pick, was stunned that the Raiders selected him so high. Maybe he was led astray by the expert opinions that pegged him for the middle of the first round.
"There were flashier players, players that other teams may have had higher on their boards,” Mayock explained. “On our board, it was he and (Nick) Bosa…right next to each other at that position.”
The Raiders’ cloak of secrecy worked. They got their man and nobody saw it coming – at least not in that slot.
Then, holding pat with the 24th and 27th selections, Oakland landed two more of the “foundation players” it needs to reverse the losing syndrome that has existed with what was once a signature NFL franchise. The Raiders took the first running back in the draft in Alabama’s Josh Jacobs. Then it was a hard-hitting safety in Mississippi State’s Johnathan Abram.
On paper and on film, these look like legitimate hits for the right places. The defense was last in the NFL last season in sacks and last in keeping opponents off the scoreboard. Ferrell had 27 sacks in three seasons at Clemson. Abram will use his speed to fly around on the back end. And with Marshawn Lynch announcing his second (and probably final) retirement this week, the multi-dimensional Jacobs will get the to be a workhorse in Gruden’s revived offense.
"If you’re listening Josh,” Gruden said, flanked by Mayock at the press conference following Round 1, “I’d encourage you to get some rest because we’re going to run you a lot.”
Mayock, who for 15 years was the lead draft analyst for NFL Network, provided some insight on how he and Gruden will mesh in their roles when recalling how Jacobs became a target. After attending the national championship game, Mayock left Levi’s Stadium thinking Jacobs was the most impressive Alabama player on the field in the loss to Clemson. He went to the office the next day and watched the film. He was even more impressed. Then he put together a videotape containing six plays featuring Jacobs, and walked into Gruden’s office for a bit of show-and-tell.
Less than a week on the job, Mayock said, “Jon, this is going to be one of our picks right here.”
"He was like, ‘Oh,’ “ Mayock continued. “That’s how long he’s been on our radar.”
It’s the selection of Ferrell, though, that may come to define what might have been the most important draft in the franchise’s history. Although he’s a versatile talent with the ability to play at either end spot or as an inside rusher, Mayock said, it may take a while for the notion to fade that the Raiders reached for him.
In a draft dominated by defense – 18 defenders were chosen in the first round, including three Clemson D-linemen – comparisons of Ferrell against the other first-round edge rushers will be inevitable as their careers progress.
Did they take the right one? Such a question is the beauty of the draft aftermath. Although Mayock had Ferrell and Bosa in an elite category, many would have been less surprised if the pick was Kentucky’s Josh Allen (Jacksonville, 7th overall). And Florida State’s Brian Burns (Carolina, 16th) was rated higher than Ferrell on many mock boards. D-tackles such as Ed Oliver (Buffalo, 9th) and Clemson’s Christian Wilkins (Miami, 13th) are also in the comparison range, particularly if one has the type of impact that Aaron Donald, the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, has had with the Rams.
Surely, Mayock has his reasons for rating Ferrell above so many others from a deep defensive crop. He’ll have to live with the second-guessing until proven otherwise.
If Ferrell becomes the star rusher who replaces what the Raiders once had with Khalil Mack, Mayock’s reputation as a real-time evaluator rises accordingly. If he flops and one of the others becomes a dominant star, that, too, will be reflected on the rep.
It’s too early to tell how it will flow. Not even the teams know for sure, despite their extensive evaluations and background checks. Busts happen.
For now, though, Raiders Nation can relax. Gruden and Mayock operated the draft in a chill mode. The Raiders needed an edge rusher and he’s on the way. They needed a running back and safety. Done and done. After working the trade market (hello, Antonio Brown) and free agency (Lamarcus Joyner, Tyrell Williams, Vontaze Burfict), they are seemingly off to a great start in further bolstering the roster through the draft.
And they worked their plan. When Mayock talks about “foundation players,” he is describing the new definition of a Raider, with character and passion prioritized along with talent.
"That kind of drove this draft,” Mayock said. “I know sometimes you want sexy, you want to move up and down and trade and all the rest, but at the end of the day we got the guys we wanted.”
In Ferrell, the Raiders landed the ringleader from Clemson’s special championship defense.
"When you talk to the guys at Clemson, they all talk about this kid as being the cornerstone of that defense,” Mayock said. “Everything he does, reminds me of what we want as a Raider.”
Not long ago, people said similar things about Mack and Cooper – surprisingly traded away last year to generate more premium picks and premium salary cap room.
Now there’s another surprise with Ferrell…and no surprise with the quarterback position.
The rumors about pursuing Haskins, whom the Raiders were reportedly highly impressed with, looks a lot like a smokescreen now. Gruden maintains they were merely doing their jobs – and not sending a signal about Carr – in visiting with Haskins and Murray.
Maybe so. But it sure generated a buzz…that Gruden dismissed.
"I was part of the rumor cycle for nine years,” he said, referring to his time in the ESPN booth as an analyst for Monday Night Football. “That’s TV chatter.”
Surely, as the draft and the new careers proceed, there will be plenty more to talk about.
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