Raiders GM Dave Ziegler can’t swing and miss on NFL draft

Dave Ziegler is on the clock.

He’s a second-year general manager of the Raiders who’s readying himself and his staff for Thursday’s first round of the NFL draft. He’s the one who can’t swing and miss.

The Raiders have done far too much of that in recent years. See the handful of drafts prior to Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels arriving.

See the obvious reaches and off-field troubles that befell some chosen by Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock.

The Raiders need to begin getting draft hits. Heck, even a double here and there.

Even though what they really need are a few home runs.

All options exist

They choose No. 7 overall and have — for now — 12 picks across the board. They could trade up or back. They could not move at all.

One thing became certain when Ziegler addressed the media Friday — all such options exist. Nothing is set in silver-and-black stone.

There is also rightly a large amount of pressure atop Ziegler’s shoulders. Comes with the job.

“I want to get 12 contributing players,” he said. “We put that pressure on ourselves. I put it on myself, and Josh puts it on himself. As a scouting department, we feel that pressure in a good way. I think that pressure drives you.

“When you’re meeting for 15 straight days, there’s a monotony that can set in, but that pressure, that motivation to improve the team, keeps pushing us and keeps us focused and dialed in.”

The Raiders didn’t own a first- or second-round pick last year, so this is the first time we will see Ziegler as the man in charge with such a lofty choice. You need to draft a starter at No. 7. You need to identify more than one for a 6-11 team.

Best player available. It’s more draft cliché than Mel Kiper’s hair. Ziegler said it’s part of his strategy to look for such — the player, not the hair — but how it’s defined varies from team to team. The Raiders need competition at most every position. But the best player available also means the best fit for the franchise.

Someone with a passion for football and who has upside and explosiveness to his game, who can impact things in a positive manner. That’s his definition.

“Definitely more comfortable (with this second draft),” Ziegler said. “We’re in Year 2 and have a little better understanding. Less teaching going on. More getting into the nuts and bolts of the film and the nuts and bolts of evaluations. Many more people speaking the same language. It has led to a more comfortable, fluid process. It doesn’t guarantee results, but we definitely feel confident in what we’ve done.”

But what about those times when the nuts and bolts lead you in a different direction from those working alongside?

It makes sense that as close as Ziegler and McDaniels are, as much on the same page they appear to be on, disagreements over prospects are likely few and far between. But there is no perfect situation. There are going to be differing opinions. Going to be folks falling in love with certain players and others not.

Been there, seen that

“Just go through a thorough process,” Ziegler said. “Josh and I have spent a lot of time in the last week ironing out different things. When we’re in the draft room and the pick is there, we won’t be on different pages. We’ll have ironed all those things out prior to getting to that point.

“There will be some debates, but we’ll work through all of that, and by the time we get to the draft, we’ll be ready to go.”

Make no mistake: Dave Ziegler is on the clock.

The pressure is rightly on his shoulders.

Comes with the job. He can’t swing and miss.

Been there, seen that with this franchise and recent drafts.

It’s not a pretty sight.

Ed Graney is a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing and be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter