Getty Raiders head coach Jon Gruden.
Outside of 2014 and 2019, the Las Vegas Raiders have performed very poorly in the NFL Draft. That was a big reason for the addition of Mike Mayock as the team’s general manager. He’s spent most of his career as a draft analyst and the move appears to have paid off based on last year’s class. There are hardly any players that were drafted to the Raiders before Mayock got there who are still on the roster.
In 2018, Jon Gruden and former general manager Reggie Mckenzie turned some heads when they took defensive tackle P.J. Hall in the second round. He was highly productive in college but played against weak competition. He was considered a reach at the time. The risk has yet to pay off as he hasn’t made a lot of plays during his two seasons with the team. According to Michael Lombardi, the Raiders have made him available in trade talks.
More players available…Malik Hooker, Indy, PJ Hall Oakland, Rasul Douglas Phila, Adam Sheehan, Chicago. It’s going to be a fun week.
Hall is still young and has potential, but it remains to be seen what the team could get for him in return. They’re almost certainly looking for draft picks as they currently have no picks in the second, sixth or seventh rounds of this year’s draft.
Mike Mayock Put Hall on Notice at Combine
The apparent decision to put Hall on the trade block isn’t too much of a surprise. Mike Mayock had some choice words for the defensive tackle at the NFL Combine in February.
“P.J.’s got a challenge,” Mayock said, via Vic Tafur. “We have a new defensive line coach coming in, and trust me, (new defensive line coach) Rod Marinelli doesn’t put up with anything but 100 percent hustle. Nothing but.”
Mayock was obviously hinting that the Raiders don’t believe he plays hard enough. It’s definitely a disappointing development as Hall was an exciting prospect. He had 42 sacks in four seasons as a defensive tackle at Sam Houston State. Even against subpar competition, those numbers are impressive. Unfortunately, those pass-rushing skills haven’t translated to the NFL as he’s only accumulated 1.5 sacks in two seasons.
Thanks to his lack of production and Mayock letting the cat out of the bag about his lack of hustle, the Raiders probably won’t get a big return for him. Perhaps a sixth and seventh-round pick does the job.
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Are Raiders Targeting DT in the Draft?
If the Raiders do trade Hall, it adds to the idea that they are planning on drafting a defensive tackle early in the draft. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller reported a few weeks ago that the team was planning on targeting a defensive tackle in the first round of the draft. While the need at cornerback seems more pressing, a strong interior pass rusher is becoming more and more valuable in the NFL.
The Raiders did sign Maliek Collins during free agency and he’s a solid interior pass rusher. Putting him next to Maurice Hurst is actually a pretty enticing idea. Based on what the team currently has, it doesn’t appear they have a big need at defensive tackle. Unless somebody like Derrick Brown falls to them in the first round, they should target wide receiver and cornerback.
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