Oakland Raiders: Jack Del Rio says they traded a Hall of Famer

The Oakland Raiders are still hearing about their decision to trade star pass rusher Khalil Mack. Something that happened almost a year ago.

This shouldn’t be a surprise. Mack went to the Chicago Bears, transformed their defense into the best in the NFL, and got them to a 12-4 record and a division championship. He had 12.5 sacks despite missing two games as well. He showcased exactly why he’s one of the most dominant defensive players in professional football. The Raiders? Their pass rush finished among the worst in the league. All they’ve got to bank on now is the series of draft picks they got back in the trade.

This included two 1st round picks and a 3rd round pick. Not a bad chunk of change, but also not a guarantee. Jimmy Johnson loved to say this about acquiring lots of selections. The key is not getting the picks. The key is getting good players with the picks. This is something head coach Jon Gruden and new GM Mike Mayock have to accomplish. It’s anything but easy, especially when they gave up what was a special player to reach this position.

Former Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio made it clear how much pressure they’re under on NFL Network’s Up to the Minute.

"“I think Khalil Mack is a future Hall of Fame player. To me, when you have that talented of a player, you keep those guys……We’re going to find out if they can parlay those picks into something special, but they clearly decided not to pay one of the great human beings and great football players that I’ve ever coached.”"

Jon Gruden never drafted a Hall of Famer in his head coaching career

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Gruden has been a great head coach for many years, but when it comes to player evaluation in the draft, he’s not exactly flawless. He had minimal say during his first stint in Oakland from 1998 to 2001, back when Al Davis was still calling the shot. It wasn’t until he arrived in Tampa Bay in 2002 that he finally got to have more say in the composition of his roster. Suffice to say his track record wasn’t the best.

2004 – Drafted Michael Clayton 15th overall who was the fifth wide receiver taken
2005 – Drafted Cadillac Williams with Aaron Rodgers still on the board (Chris Simms was his QB)
2007 – Drafted Gaines Adams with Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, and Darrelle Revis still available

His two best picks were guard Davin Joseph and cornerback Aqib Talib. Neither of whom moved the needle for the franchise or can be considered “special” players. His first run since returning to Oakland doesn’t offer confidence either. Kolton Miller was bad as a rookie in 2018. So much that the Raiders spent record-breaking money to get Trent Brown in free agency.

This is not to say they can’t have more success this year, but see Mack excel only puts on the pressure even more.

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