For years, Mike Mayock has evaluated college talent and written evaluations for NFL scouts, coaches and front-office staffers to contemplate.
Now the former NFL Network analyst, hired by the Raiders to be their new general manager, is excited for a completely new job in which he’ll be keeping his evaluations in-house.
Mayock, 60, goes into the job for a team with a franchise quarterback, five first-round draft picks over 2019 and 2020 and plenty of room under the salary cap.
“Some people were asking me what appeals to this job, and I was like, ‘What doesn’t?’ ” Mayock told the NFL Network after the hiring was announced. “I love the head coach. They got three first-round picks this year, two next year, they did a great job bringing some additional dollars into this coming year’s free-agency salary cap. So, if you’re a personnel guy sitting here going, ‘Wait a second, I have five first-round picks and some money to spend in free agency,’ what isn’t good about it?”
Oakland is expected to have $78 million in salary-cap space, so there’s plenty of cash to spend.
Raiders owner Mark Davis said he was so comfortable with Mayock – and his skill set – that he was excited to offer him the job.
“When the opportunity came to talk with Mike this time around, he was one of the first people we wanted to talk to, among others,” Davis told the media. “He hit it out of the park.”
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Mayock, who said he once was interviewed by the late Al Davis, says he’s also completely in tune with Jon Gruden as head coach and his primary assistants.
“You take it a step further, I already talked about Jon Gruden,” Mayock said of his relationship with the Raiders head coach. “Paul Guenther and I go back 20 years. Rich Bissacia and I go back 30 years. I mean, I know most of these guys. … The point is, I can walk into this building and we all talk the same language, and I can’t tell you how excited I am.”
