Raiders part with pro personnel director Dane Vandernat

By Michael Gehlken Las Vegas Review-Journal

5 years ago

The team logo adorns the entrance to the Oakland Raiders facility in Alameda, Calif., on April 17, 2017. Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal @HeidiFang

Mike Mayock speaks as at a news conference where he was introduced as the new Oakland Raiders general manager at the team’s headquarters in Oakland, Calif., Monday, Dec. 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

ATLANTA — Changes continue for a Raiders front office that is expected to experience more turnover following the April 25 to 27 draft.

Dane Vandernat, director of pro personnel, was dismissed from the organization, people familiar with the situation said. The decision was among the multiple changes to the department this month. They began Jan. 2. when the Raiders fired Joey Clinkscales, their director of personnel and a confidant of former general manager Reggie McKenzie.

McKenzie was dismissed Dec. 9.

Vandernat, a graduate from Cal Poly Pomona, first joined the franchise in 2008 as a training-camp intern. He enrolled in the player personnel department a year later. A native of Upland, California, Vandernat earned a master’s degree from the University of San Francisco and is well-regarded around the league.

Only so many changes can occur before a draft.

Last week, general manager Mike Mayock acknowledged that he is scouting his scouts in the coming months to determine the department’s direction.

“I think they all know that they’re being evaluated,” Mayock said at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. “Look, the Oakland Raiders have been to one playoff in 16 years. My original message to the scouts when I came in was, ‘Let’s be really honest where we’re starting. Let’s not sugar coat it. Let’s be honest where we’re starting because the only way we’re going to get better is if we define that and then define the process by how we’re going to get better.’

“To me, you’re always looking to upgrade everywhere, so these guys know they are on notice. A new GM is in the building. I’ve got an awful lot of relationships over the years, and it’s OK. I don’t mind them being on the edge a little bit.”

Raleigh McKenzie, twin brother of Reggie, is among the scouts working for the Raiders.

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Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.