Raiders GM Mike Mayock ahead of curve at NFL scouting combine
INDIANAPOLIS — The first curveball thrown to Mike Mayock during a Wednesday news conference at the NFL scouting combine was a question related to a Raiders player who appeared in no regular-season games as an undrafted rookie last year.
No problem.
Mayock knows his roster.
The Raiders general manager weaved a thoughtful response, detailing running back Chris Warren’s strengths. He referenced a physical run Warren made in an August joint practice versus Detroit Lions linebacker Jarrad Davis, the synopsis defying the fact Mayock was hired less than two months ago.
Mayock has done the preparation. A critical two-month period is next.
Free agency starts March 13. The draft is April 25-27. Here at the combine, the two talent-acquisition avenues intersect, as the Raiders evaluate draft prospects while quietly sifting through the veteran free-agent market. The team entered Indianapolis with a plan on how to approach both.
For the draft, a measure of relief is felt.
The Raiders are ahead of the curve.
“We feel like we’re going to be a little deeper in the process more quickly than a lot of other teams,” Mayock said.
In January, the Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers coached the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The showcase game afforded access to some of the older members in the draft class, freeing the Raiders to focus more on early entry juniors at the combine. Each NFL club can hold up to 60 private interviews with prospects.
Coaches and scouts often grumble how much training prospects receive for these 15-minute hotel sessions.
Mayock cited a serum for that.
“A big advantage we have is (coach) Jon Gruden,” Mayock said. “Kids walk into the room, and they go, ‘Holy (expletive), it’s Jon Gruden.’ It’s pretty interesting. And Jon is so animated, and Jon gets into kids’ grills real quickly, and I think it gets them off script a litttle bit. For me,not having had access to the interview room before, you go in there prepared, ready to go, wanting to get information.
“We only had two interviews (Tuesday) night, and I thought we did a really good job getting the information we needed, getting to know the kids, getting a feel for who they are as people.”
The Raiders presently own 10 draft picks, including four in the top 35 selections.
Mayock, who continually stresses the importance of the team’s later-round picks as well, said the team is “open for business” regarding draft-day trades. An early version to its draft board was assembled this month when Mayock said he met with scouts for “15 straight days, 12 hours a day.”
Having a handle on late April helps the Raiders approach mid-March.
“I’ve spent hours and hours with Jon Gruden and the coaching staff, watching free-agency film. We’ve spent the last couple weeks leading into that, just doing nothing but free agency, talking about what we’re going to do, what our game plan is, how we’re going to do it and how does that complement the draft.
“The reality is there’s got to be a complete game plan in place. You’ve got to take into account, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the draft? And how we go out and fill some of those complementary holes in free agency?”
The Raiders have more than 20 unrestricted free agents.
Those include running back Marshawn Lynch, tight end Jared Cook, safety Marcus Gilchrist, wide receiver Dwayne Harris, center/guard Jon Feliciano, running back Doug Martin and nose tackle Johnathan Hankins.
The team is still waiting to learn Lynch’s plan to continue his NFL career, Mayock said. Lynch is coming off groin surgery and turns 33 in April. As for Cook, the club is monitoring how his market develops. Mayock kept open the door for a return on both.
Last offseason, the Raiders signed several free agents to one-year contracts. Some, such as defensive end Frostee Rucker, cornerback Leon Hall and safety Reggie Nelson, were added despite their age to provide experience and scheme familiarity for a locker room with a new coaching staff.
In the second year under Gruden, that philosophy has less organizational appeal. The Raiders possess more than $70 million in cap space to support a more aggressive tactic — with one caveat.
“Free agency always is ‘proceed with caution’ in my eyes,” Mayock said. “I think there’s more busts over time than there have been Pro Bowl players. What are you looking to do in free agency? Number one: fill some holes. We have some holes we need to fill. Number two: I’d much rather have some young guys that can compete, potentially come to Vegas with us and be a part of what we’re doing going forward as opposed to the 35-year-old stopgaps.”
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Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.
