Ziegler and McDaniels Talk Raiders’ Draft Process at Press Conference

Shortly after the 2022 NFL Draft wrapped up over the weekend, Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler held a press conference detailing their draft experience. The key talking points gave insight into the entire draft process and the two spoke of some positives about their new draftees.

Draft Process

The press conference started with McDaniels thanking all the front office staff.

“Your first draft is always a challenge,” he said, noting that they didn’t have the usual time to prepare. Being hired in the offseason gave them limited time to scout players that fit the team’s specific needs.

“We feel like things went well,” Ziegler said when asked about the execution of their draft plan. “And at the same time feel like there’s going to be things that we’re going to want to improve on from a process standpoint.”

Ziegler’s willingness to improve is a very promising trait. Especially because this first draft went so well with such limited opportunities.

Ziegler navigated the draft board effectively by trading picks with the Vikings, Rams, and Titans. These trades ended up landing players such as RB Zamir White and DT Neil Farrell Jr. in the fourth round.

Player Evaluation

McDaniels dove into the Raiders’ procedure behind every selection in the draft during the press conference.

“We take the quote-unquote best player. Each organization is going to evaluate these players differently, and we’re not all going to have the same grades on the same players. We understand that, and we try to do the best we can of evaluating what the player would be for the Raiders.”

This nuance is important when considering the value of different prospects. Any given player can be extremely successful on one team or struggle on another based purely on team fit. That could be due to the scheme, surrounding talent, and countless other possible factors.

A big focus when drafting linemen this year was versatility. We saw the Raiders select Dylan Parham and Thayer Munford, who both played multiple positions on the offensive line in college. Ziegler noted, for that position, “versatility is an important trait” which was evident in the previously named selections.

McDaniels and Ziegler were able to pull off several picks worth high value. Plus, they were able to obtain All-Pro WR Davante Adams using their first and second-round picks. The new front office has already significantly impacted the roster via trades, free agency, and the draft. The Raiders are in good shape to make a playoff push next season with all their new talent.