Cut day is the latest reminder that the previous regime running the Las Vegas Raiders into the ground had absolutely no idea what they were doing.
Together, Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock made a complete mockery of the 2020 NFL Draft for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Although they have not been around for the better part of two years, their draft-day foolery serves as an ever-present reminder of why this is one of the most dysfunctional teams in all of football. With the New Orleans Saints releasing Lynn Bowden Jr., all five of the Silver and Black's top-100 picks from the 2020 NFL Draft are not only not on the Raiders any longer, but are no longer on any active NFL roster.
For those who forgot, here are the five top-100 picks in question from the Raiders' 2020 draft class.
1. Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama (No. 12 overall)
2. Damon Arnette, C, Ohio State (No. 19 overall)
3. Lynn Bowden Jr., RB, Kentucky (No. 80 overall)
4. Bryan Edwards, WR, South Carolina (No. 81 overall)
5. Tanner Muse, S, Clemson (No. 100 overall)
While each of the five players in question had different reasons for not sticking with the Silver and Black, there is a common thread in all this that is a painful reminder of Gruden's utter incompetence.
Lynn Bowden Jr. waived by Saints, Raiders 2020 NFL Draft was a disaster
How do we even unpack this? Well, let's start with the two first-rounders out of college football powerhouses. Henry Ruggs III had the makings of being a star wide receiver coming out of Alabama before he blew it all in a fatal car crash in Las Vegas. His NFL career is over, as he is now spending time behind bars. Damon Arnette was a bad seed coming out of Ohio State, and everyone knew this...
While the talent was undeniably there with Arnette and Ruggs, the Raiders clearly didn't do their homework when it came to their extracurriculars. Fast cars and guns are not how you win on Sunday, or in life, for that matter. Besides whiffing on those two blue-chippers coming out of the college game, the Raiders' three next draft errs were all about reaching on guys with questionable roster fits.
Bowden was an outstanding playmaker with the ball in his hands at Kentucky. He was an All-American as a gadget guy, even having to play some quarterback during his final season in Lexington. While he had outstanding character traits, his game just didn't translate to the NFL level. We all kind of had a feeling this would be the case. Nevertheless, we all rooted so hard for him to carve out an NFL career.
Bryan Edwards is perhaps the strangest that didn't stick. He was an exceptional wide receiver for a bad South Carolina team. Despite having the attributes coming out to potentially be a career No. 2 or No. 3 receiver, he never got that separation off the line of scrimmage like he did for years in Columbia. The Raiders thought they had their receiving corps of the future in this draft. Now, they have nothing.
And as far as Muse is concerned, he was in a similar vein as Bowden, but on the defensive side of the ball. Muse was every bit a tweener, whether that be as a linebacker or a safety. He may have starred collegiately at Clemson, but he was in college when Dabo Swinney's Tigers were at their peak in a weak ACC. Having defensive mastermind Brent Venables coaching him up most definitely helped.
Ultimately, it is still kind of baffling how poorly the Raiders drafted during the Gruden/Mayock era. Gruden was Monday Night Football for ESPN and was well-connected to the NFL due to his quarterback workshops. As for Mayock, he was the NFL Draft for the NFL Network. Together, they whiffed more on draft picks than Pedro Cerrano did on curveballs in the first half of Major League.
Teams are allowed to whiff on draft picks, but entire drafts only set a bad franchise even further back.
