Raiders trade up in 2nd round, draft tight end Michael Mayer
When the draft evaluation process just started humming, Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler sat in an Indianapolis hotel and talked about a cornerstone attribute to his roster-building philosophy.
What he said wasn’t necessarily groundbreaking. And by no means was his preference for building physical offensive and defensive foundations from the front back unique to an NFL general manager. Nor his fondness for rugged players who could win individual battles not just with their athletic ability but their toughness.
That’s Football 101.
Nevertheless, Ziegler was offering a bit of a clue as to how his second Raiders draft might unfold, at least in the early rounds.
After drafting 6-foot-6-inch, 275-pound Texas Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson with the seventh pick in the first round Thursday, the Raiders followed up Friday by taking 6-5, 250-pound Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer in the second round and 6-4, 300-pound Alabama defensive tackle Byron Young in the third.
Each brings a noticeable level of size, physicality and production at the line of scrimmage, an area of the field the Raiders have put a priority on dominating. Wilson and Mayer also have upfield playmaking ability — Wilson as a pass rusher off the edge and Mayer as a pass-threat weapon across all levels of the field.
In Young, the Raiders anticipate an immediate run-stuffing interior anchor who has a chance to improve as a pass rusher.
“There’s a little bit different element to all three,” Ziegler said. “Obviously Tyree has an explosive pass-rush ability, and he can be very disruptive in the run game. Michael is a guy who’s shown the ability to win on third down and in the red zone. And Byron, just with his length and power, his explosive ability to reset the line of scrimmage in the run game and use his length and leverage to disrupt the pocket.”
The Raiders wrapped up the night by selecting speedy Cincinnati wide receiver Tre Tucker, who finished his career with 111 catches for 1,426 yards and eight touchdowns. Although slightly built at 5-9, 180 pounds, Tucker brings some physicality as a former high school wrestler.
“He’s a tough matchup because of his short-area quickness and just his straight-line speed,” Ziegler said.
Mayer, a prolific pass catcher and rugged run blocker at Notre Dame, summed it all up when he said: “I like to put people in the dirt, and I like to run people over.”
That has to be music to the ears of the Raiders, who have lost too many games with their inability to consistently win at the point of attack.
Mayer set school tight end records with 180 career catches, 2,099 yards and 18 touchdowns, and was projected as a first-round pick. When he fell to the second round, the Raiders took notice.
They made their move at the 35th pick, three ahead of them. Their primary focus was defense, but Mayer offered too much value, so Ziegler offered the Colts pick No. 38 and their fourth-round selection at No. 141 for him.
Tight end might not be an immediate need, but with Austin Hooper and O.J. Howard playing on one-year contracts, it’s a long-range roster need.
Mayer immediately becomes the long-range replacement for Darren Waller, traded two months ago to the Giants, and is an ideal fit in Josh McDaniels’ offense and Jimmy Garoppolo’s skill set.
“I’m just going to come in and try to play my best ball,” Mayer said. “That’s what they drafted me to do.”
Young played 45 games at Alabama, including nine as a true freshman, and finished his career with 130 tackles, including 20 for losses, and 7.5 sacks. His strength as a run defender, he said, was cultivated by Alabama’s mandate that earning a chance to rush the passer occurred only by first stopping the run.
Over time, he began growing as a pass rusher and had a career-high four sacks last season.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.