Raiders’ Mike Mayock now ‘made man,’ NFL Network co-worker says
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Daniel Jeremiah and Mike Mayock became co-workers in 2012 when Jeremiah joined the NFL Network.
To some degree, they already were peers.
Mayock was a fixture at various predraft events such as pro days, all-star games and the scouting combine. At each, he approached his position as a draft analyst with a scout’s mentality. Jeremiah scouted for three NFL clubs over an eight-year span before switching to broadcasting, as Mayock made his rounds.
“From my time in scouting, I have a little bit of a membership, I would say, to the scouting community just from having been in that world,” Jeremiah said in a phone interview this week. “Mike became an honorary member for what he did at all these pro days, year after year after year, of doing all the grind that the scouts are doing. They kind of accepted him into the club. And now, he is completely a made man. Now, he’s joined their forces.”
The Raiders introduced Mayock, 60, on Monday as their general manager. Few are more fit than Jeremiah to provide a scouting report on the hire. A strong off-camera friendship was behind their on-air chemistry. They swapped notes on players, discussing evaluations that were based on expansive game-film review.
Jeremiah said he’s “never been around somebody that enjoys talking about football more” than Mayock.
“I think that’s one of the things that is going to be fun for him is instead of just ranking players generically,” Jeremiah said, “he’s going to be able to now watch and evaluate players for how they fit a specific team. We’ve talked about it a lot over the years. He has a very clear idea of what he likes and what he thinks goes into a championship team. I think you’ll have a very defined mission. You’ll know exactly what he’s after. The challenge will be can he get it done.
“He does not leave any stone unturned. He is very, very detailed. He’s very organized. And the most important thing for that job and that role is that he’s going to be able to speak the same language as Gruden and (defensive coordinator Paul) Guenther and those guys, and they’re going to be able to collaboratively come together on the big decisions for their organization.”
Coach Jon Gruden and Mayock soon will work closely at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The Raiders will coach the North team in the all-star game, which showcases some of the nation’s top seniors leading up to the April 25 to 27 draft.
That event was among Jeremiah’s favorite experiences with Mayock, he said.
The two would carpool to Ladd-Peebles Stadium during the practice week, discussing players en route. They’d discuss players on the NFL Network broadcast. And then, over dinner, they’d discuss players some more.
“There will be no shortage of opinions in that room,” Jeremiah said of Gruden and Mayock. “They won’t back down from it. I think, at the end of the day, it will be healthy. … Every good evaluator has to be able to admit mistakes and try to learn from their mistakes, and Mike doesn’t try to run from that. We all have them. We all have guys that we are proud of, and there’s ones that we’ve missed. The key is to try to figure out how you learn and grow. He’s never shied away from that, and that’s a sign there is some humility there that, I think, is a hugely underrated aspect of that position.”
Mayock is not the first person to move from broadcaster to general manager.
Jeremiah, though, said that he believes Mayock’s transition is unique.
“Matt Millen (with the Detroit Lions) had been a player and then been a broadcaster,” Jeremiah said. “I think you look at John Lynch (with the San Francisco 49ers), being a player and a broadcaster. Mike is coming at it from a different perspective. He’s been watching 300-plus players and preparing reports and watching the college players for 15 years or however long it’s been. That’s a lot of experience.
“He’s called games. He’s been in every facility. I just think it’s not a situation where he’s someone who is coming out of the broadcast booth. He’s had a lot of experience. It’s just that he was scouting for (all) teams. He wasn’t scouting for one of the 32.”
Mayock is a made man now.
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