Jon Gruden Continues To Be Criticized For His Drafting

It’s becoming increasingly clear that Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden isn’t exactly a wizard when it comes to drafting.

On Thursday, the Raiders released defensive end Arden Key and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr. Those two players were third- and fifth-round picks in the 2018 NFL Draft – a draft where Gruden was the primary decision-maker on player selection.

Key was a two-time All-SEC selection at LSU. But he struggled to make an impact in three years under Gruden. In three seasons he made 49 tackles and had 3.0 sacks.

Hurst was an All-American at Michigan whose father was a star for the Patriots in the 1990s. But much like Key, Hurst didn’t make a ton of impact, recording 0.5 sacks and 27 tackles in 2020.

With Key and Hurst now gone, only three players from Gruden’s 2018 draft are still with the team. And the NFL world is taking Gruden to task for it online:

Gruden’s first draft class as the De Facto GM. Only three players remain on the team. Kolton Miller, Brandon Parker, and Scout team WR Marcell Ateman lmao 😂 pic.twitter.com/ILlZzHQDXR

— LILALDAVIS (@LILAlDavis) April 15, 2021

Gruden’s drafting is sooooooooo bad

— Slippahz & Fanny Pack Li dat (@Oahu_Raider808) April 15, 2021

Gruden is a hell of a coach but he is a terrible GM and its holding the team back

— LeGarrette’s blunt (@simpfortyrie) April 15, 2021

Gruden’s tenure draft wise has been pretty abysmal.

— cassie (@cassandra_trask) April 15, 2021

 

It’s not controversial to say that Jon Gruden’s return to the Raiders and NFL hasn’t been a success. In three seasons he has yet to deliver the Raiders a winning season.

The Raiders’ defense has ranked in the bottom half of the league for all three years and in the bottom half on offense in two seasons.

This year the draft is being done by general manager Mike Mayock, who has four picks in the top 100.

We’ll see if some savvy drafting this year will enable the Raiders to enjoy a more successful year four under Gruden.

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