3rd year 2023 rookie draft grades

[KillerRaider30]

Round Player Pos College. grade
1 Tyree Wilson DE Texas Tech. D
2 Michael MayerTE Notre Dame. B
3 Byron Young DT Alabama. F
3 Tre Tucker WR Cincinnati. C+
4 Jakorian Bennett CB Maryland. F
4 Aidan O'Connell QB Purdue. C+
5 Christopher Smith II S Georgia. F
6 Amari Burney LB Florida. F
7 Nesta Jade Silvera DT. F

[Corleone]

He’s not wearing a gold jacket anytime soon but I wouldn’t say he is below average.

So far his mental issue appears to be a one time deal (fingers crossed)
Maybe he had a bad experience with Mark Davis at a Chuck E Cheese luncheon or something. Who knows?

His stats through 3 seasons:

image.png

I can't' say for certain, but I'd say for TE's drafted in the top 35, he's well below average, and for a TE, his physicality is also a weakness, he regularly gets ragdolled in the run game. Jeantys best rushing game of 2025 happens to be a game Mayer did not play in, guy gets absolutely dominated trying to run block.

No matter how you look at it, it was a bad pick. I'm not going to completely write him off, TE's often take time to get accustomed to the NFL, but coming up on year 4, he needs to show it this year, or he won't be a Raider any longer and you can turn that B grade into an F.

[Xramfan]

His stats through 3 seasons:
image.png

I can't' say for certain, but I'd say for TE's drafted in the top 35, he's well below average, and for a TE, his physicality is also a weakness, he regularly gets ragdolled in the run game. Jeantys best rushing game of 2025 happens to be a game Mayer did not play in, guy gets absolutely dominated trying to run block.

No matter how you look at it, it was a bad pick. I'm not going to completely write him off, TE's often take time to get accustomed to the NFL, but coming up on year 4, he needs to show it this year, or he won't be a Raider any longer and you can turn that B grade into an F.

Those stats don’t lie I guess. I was basing my opinion on my eye test. Compared to the average TE I watch on Sundays he seemed to be in the middle of them with some very nice grabs as well as some flops. My eyes told me he is average but not below but again stats are stats

[Oaktownonly]

Horrible. I’m no scout, but I never dreamed Tyree would be this inept.

Then again, the actual scouts put thousands of man hours into this draft, and that’s what they came up with. Maybe we really are just as good as them? I’ll go with that.

With the amount of times over the years that the Raiders would draft a player that would make us say "what the f[raiders_icon]ck", I would say a lot of us could have drafted better.

[NoThanksSir]

Mayer was an elite college TE and would have won a Mackey if it weren't for Pitts and Bowers. Dude is dripping with talent but until he delivers it's potential. He's past the money making portion of his rookie deal and onto the "prove I have a career" phase. He could have been so much more. All we can hope for us a mediocre blocker. He's a 3rd/4th option in the passing game

[SkullCrusher]

7th rounders avg 1.7 years of service. So 1 year I guess is C-/D. I bet you don't change staff's as often length of service goes up, "Sticking with my guys" a bit longer. New guy "I need to get my guys, later".

[KillerRaider30]

In a system you need to learn 80 plays the first year. Learn them and then learn them well. Then we build.
UNLESS YOU FIRE THE HC!
Sorry I digress

Mayer is another product of 3 HC systems in as many years.

He'll get you 2-3 first downs in heavy traffic because he has great hands and he's ready to rumble which i love.
Every winning team needs a guy like this.

If anyone want to bring in a TE that brings more to the table I'd consider what we have, and can he be used in the Kubiak system.

This guy is a block and release under above average pass catcher.

80 playes to learn and I'll watch to see if he spends any time during camp with the f[raiders_icon]cking OLINE.
I can see Miller and company teaching him up. Brock too.

I like Mayer and I see great things to come from him.

[haji81872]

Chris Smith played 36 games for us. For a fifth round pick thay is pretty solid. Burney has 34 tackles over two years and suited up in over 20 games. 6th round pick. Pretty good. Jakorian Bennett started 11 games and had a solid second season if you look at his analytics. To grade them all as F's is silly.

[Pseudoscot]

I don't think we are particularly bad at drafting. I do think we are atrocious at player development.

Players are rarely drafted on the basis of the player they are but more on the player they could be in the future and historically we are utterly abysmal at helping those players reach their potential.

Everyone has high expectations from a draft class but even with perfect player development the hit rate is poor. An average draft class 3 years on will produce a starter and a couple of role guys. We struggle to even do that. It is often telling that players who fail with us often become solid contributors for other teams after we part ways.

Yes, identifying the potential in a player is something a GM and scouting department has to do but that is just the start of the process. Hopefully our new coaching staff can right the ship and actually develop young players otherwise we will continue to have the same hindsight conversations about draft classes.

[ELCAraiderfan]

I have to actually disagree about Tampa/Raiders Super Bowl…I really think if Barret Robbins was playing in that game; then Raiders would have won…you got a 330 pound center who was actually a great run center being replace by a 280 pound center who was just a backup…
I mean the raiders just steamrolled over Titans….
Don’t think the Raiders would have been able to run on Tampa with Treu as the center; Robbins was really a big center that could move; and if he was not ill he might have had HOF career with the raiders…

If the coach or Al wouldn't have changed the gameplan on Friday Robbins would have been playing. The last minute game plan change is why he went into a huge depressive state and left. Its a fact that's why he went AOL