The former NFL Network analyst-turned-general manager will be seen through an aqua-and-orange prism.
The Oakland Raiders hired Mike Mayock to be the general manager on the final day of 2018, and if you’re like me, you’ve followed his work on the NFL Network over the last 14 years. I, for one, appreciated the level-headedness in his analysis. He only did 1 mock draft per year so he didn’t sensationalize what he did. In terms of TV draft personalities, he was my favorite. The game of football seemed to emanate from his pores.
Let’s take a look at the last 8 years and see who fared better at drafting for the Miami Dolphins: Mike Mayock or the Dolphins?
Hopefully obvious Context to this exercise: we can’t account for every contingency. Mayock does propose trades in his mock drafts, but, for example, he can’t account for a gas mask bong video coming out because a player’s social media account got hacked moments before an NFL Draft.
2011: Mayock - Mike Pouncey/Dolphins - Mike Pouncey
Advantage: Wash
2012: Mayock - Ryan Tannehill/Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill
Advantage: Wash
This is boring so far.
2013: Mayock - DJ Fluker/Dolphins - Dion Jordan
Advantage: Mayock.
OK, not so boring anymore.
The Dolphins could’ve drafted a kicker at #3 in the 2013 NFL Draft and had better return, so this isn’t so much an endorsement of Mayock as it is an indictment on the Dolphins. Honestly, I can’t really fault the Dolphins, either. I was drooling after watching his “Sports Science” segment on ESPN. Ironically enough, the Dolphins defiled the Oakland Raiders in trade compensation, but my oh my did we choose wrong, though.
DJ Fluker certainly had a more accomplished college career, but had what I’d call a solid NFL career. Played well initially at right tackle, then had to make the move to right guard. He played for the Seattle Seahawks this year (poorly) after a brief stint with the New York Giants in 2017.
2014: Mayock - Cyrus Kouandjio/Dolphins - Ja’Wuan James
Advantage: Dolphins. Cyrus Kouandjio would end up getting drafted in the 2nd round by the Buffalo Bills, had a few injuries, got released, signed with the Detroit Lions for about two months then got released, and has been a fringe player (much like Sam Young for the Dolphins) with the Denver Broncos as the team has signed him then released him on two separate occasions. He is currently unemployed.
Ja’Wuan James has been a solid if unspectacular right tackle. Well, I guess, is there any other kind of right tackle?
I’ve been harsh on him in the past, but the Dolphins exercised a 5th year option from his rookie contract and heads to the negotiating table this off-season.
2015: Mayock - Kevin Johnson/Dolphins - DeVante Parker
Advantage: Wash. My pent-up Dolphins frustration makes me want to give the nod to Mayock, but both players have disappointed in their own right.
2016: Mayock - Shaq Lawson/Dolphins - Laremy Tunsil
Advantage: Dolphins, slightly. Mayock, like everyone else on planet Earth, didn’t anticipate Tunsil dropping to the Dolphins, as he had him going 6th in a proposed trade between the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens. I give Tunsil the slight nod for the overall body of work, but Lawson probably had the best single season (2018), including two sacks and a forced fumble during the 3,142-17 Week 17 ass kicking in Orchard Park, New York.
I ultimately believe that Tunsil has the higher ceiling and better prospects at being upper echelon at their respective positions, but as of this writing, it’s a close call in my opinion.
2017: Mayock - TJ Watt/Dolphins - Charles Harris
Advantage: Mayock. TJ Watt has 20 sacks; Charles Harris has three. Harris will have more opportunities to prove himself, but the chances of Harris catching up with Watt’s career arc seems bleak at this point.
2018: Mayock - Tremaine Edmunds/Dolphins - Minkah Fitzpatrick
Advantage: Dolphins, slightly. You could rightfully say that this is a premature stance: we just witnessed both players’ rookie seasons. Minkah played much better at boundary than I expected, although had a few warts later in the season. Edmunds ended up with 121 tackles and the same amount of interceptions (2) as Minkah, with one of those interceptions coming in that 126,789-17 defeat against the Buffalo Problem Drinkers in Week 17.
As someone who had Edmunds as the highest ranked LB in the 2018 NFL Draft, I loved his size and range coming out of Virginia Tech. During draft season, I remember thinking to myself that he might need one year to dissect an NFL playbook and the nuances that go into it. I think the best might be yet to come for Edmunds.
At the same time, Minkah might be the best player on the Dolphins already. He’s shown the athleticism and versatility that put him in the top 10 conversation. Perhaps the most important of all, he appears poised for leadership, one of the last people in the building honing his craft through film study, and it’s not his fault the Patent Office screwed up: there’s only one “FitzMagic” and it’s most certainly not Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Do the Dolphins move him back to free safety or will the new coaching staff continue the transformation to a boundary corner? I think it’s an important question to answer before we know what to expect in 2019.
Conclusion
Wash: 3
Dolphins: 3 (although 2 of those were “slightly”)
Mayock: 2
It’s close, although Dolphins technically win by quantity, isn’t it prudent to weigh the sheer vastness of the “wins”? Dolphins have 2 slight wins and 1 convincing win; Mayock has 2 convincing wins, and by far the most convincing win in 2013. This is a wash for me, ladies and gentlemen.
What would you say, Phinsider? Mayock or Dolphins?
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