Michael Mayer has some big shoes to fill as he’s replacing former Las Vegas Raiders Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller. While nobody expects him to be a superstar as a rookie, defensive end Maxx Crosby isn’t going easy on him in training camp.
On the team’s first day of padded practices, Crosby took it upon himself to bully Mayer and even drove him into the field on one play. Nothing malicious was meant by Crosby but he was trying to humble the second-round pick. Mayer acknowledges that it wasn’t a good look for him but knows that Crosby is getting him ready for the regular season.
“I got embarrassed,” Mayer said during his August 22 media availability. “That was definitely my welcome-to-the-NFL moment. From there, I’ve just been trying to get better and learn from it. … I know it’s going to help me this season and in the long run.”
Mayer was a Consensus All-American at Notre Dame in 2022 and was a big star in the program. He was expected to be a first-round pick before the Raiders were able to trade up and get him early in the second round. Regardless of whether Mayer needed some humbling, Crosby showed him that it’s not going to be as easy to be a star in the NFL.
Michael Mayer on his Welcome to the NFL moment with Maxx Crosby to open camp:
Michael Mayer Adjusting to NFL Game
Michael Mayer has played against some big-time competition in college. He played against a very good USC team for his last game at Notre Dame and had 98 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He’s proven that he can still be effective against top competition.
However, even the NFL’s worst defense is more skilled than the best college football defense. Mayer has quickly learned just how different things are once you get to the pros.
“It’s definitely different,” Mayer said. “That’s probably the biggest thing I’ve noticed coming from college to the NFL — the blocking technique that you’ve got to have. I’m learning every day, and I’m improving at it every day, and there’s a lot for me to get better at in terms of that. That’s one of my main focuses right now, for sure.”
Michael Mayer Trying to Learn as Much as He Can
With Darren Waller now on the New York Giants, the Raiders need a tight end to step up this season. Austin Hooper is a veteran who has been to two Pro Bowls but Michael Mayer is the future for the team. However, it takes time for most rookies to learn the NFL.
Right now, Mayer is working hard to understand the NFL game as best as he can.
“I think I grew up that way and I think it’s the way I was raised,” Mayer said. “And I think I was also born that way a little bit. That’s just kind of instilled into me if you know what I mean. And so, coming to the football field every day since I was three, four or five years old, it’s always been kind of: ‘What can I get better at? What can I learn from? What is the coach, the teacher, what are they trying to say to me right now?’ And Coach Jerry [Schuplinski] has done a great job with that; Coach [Mick] Lombardi, Coach [Josh] McDaniels have all been there, really helping me improve, helping me get the offense down. That’s another whole category that we could talk about is me really trying to get this offense down and play as confident as I can out there. And so, we’re getting there.”
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Raiders Rookie Brutally Honest About Maxx Crosby: ‘I Got Embarrassed’