Graney: Leatherwood another casualty from Gruden-Mayock era
It’s not on purpose.
But given what the Raiders have done lately, the regime of former coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock is more and more a thing of the past.
Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels kept their word about constructing a team. How they said things would go. That résumé or other such factors wouldn’t matter in the eyes of those evaluating talent and deciding on 53 names.
That if it meant taking on some dead money for the sake of choosing another more capable body, such a road wouldn’t be avoided.
Moving on
Ziegler as a new general manager and McDaniels as coach have moved on from some high draft picks and not shown great long-term commitment to others from previous management, one of the more prominent being offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood.
The former No. 17 overall pick was part of the cuts Tuesday, his inability to show much improvement all the reason needed. Never made a second season here.
“We’ve talked about competition since we came here in every position group,” McDaniels said Wednesday. “Trying to give every player an opportunity to earn his job, earn his role, whatever that role might be. We felt like we did that.”
It’s not as if Leatherwood doesn’t possibly have an NFL future. The Bears claimed him off waivers. It’s not as if he doesn’t own the size or athleticism to possibly fit somewhere. But much growth is needed for him to have a legitimate chance.
He was an obvious reach by Gruden and Mayock in the first round. Leatherwood was projected by most as a second-round selection and didn’t even play up to that level in his time with the Raiders — whether at right tackle or guard.
Think about it: None of the first-round picks by the Gruden-Mayock duo from 2019 — running back Josh Jacobs, defensive end Clelin Ferrell and safety Johnathan Abram, all part of the 53 — had fifth-year options picked up by current management.
Now, there is Leatherwood and former second-round selection Trayvon Mullen from the 2019 draft. He was traded to Arizona on Tuesday for a conditional seventh-round pick.
“I try and stay away from that concept,” McDaniels said of moving on from past selections. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for anyone who was here before and what they’ve done. We have a lot of great players that work very hard and with great character and do all the right things.”
He’s right. It goes both ways. The Raiders this offseason extended defensive end Maxx Crosby and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow — both mid-round picks of Gruden and Mayock and highly coveted players. There is also a potential rising star in second-year safety Tre’von Moehrig.
Goals and aspirations
It could be — as McDaniels suggested Wednesday — that he and Ziegler are merely thinking beyond this season when forming a roster.
Mullen was in the final year of his contract and battled injury, so perhaps you move him now and keep instead a player such as undrafted free agent Sam Webb.
The Raiders last week also cut a Gruden-Mayock signing in veteran running back Kenyan Drake. There is a short-term answer in Ameer Abdullah and possible long-term ones in rookies Zamir White (who was going to make the team regardless) and seventh-rounder Brittain Brown.
“I’m just excited for Week 1,” McDaniels said. “We’re all at the bottom of the mountain — 32 (teams). We’re all going to start climbing next week. Hopefully, we can keep climbing. We know what our goals and aspirations are.”
No matter where the 53 came from.
Ed Graney is a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing and can 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.
CORRECTION: In an earlier version of the column, Jon Gruden’s first name was spelled incorrectly.
