Week 9 of the college football season is upon us, and it’s filled with exciting matchups. With the 2022 NFL Draft always on the horizon, we go back to the mailbag to talk about the latest news and rumors surrounding college football.
2022 NFL Draft Rumors and News: The Tony Pauline Mailbag (10/20/21)
With Jon Gruden out in Las Vegas, is Mike Mayock the one now running the show? How secure is his future?
A few things on this.
1) Off the top, owner Mark Davis claimed Mayock has 51% of the decision-making power, so on paper, Mayock is running the show.
2) Immediately after the 2021 NFL Draft, I reported big changes were coming to the Raiders’ front office/scouting department in the wake of the choice of Alex Leatherwood, who has been as bad as many predicted.
3) Changes were not made to the scouting department or general manager’s office. Yet, over the summer, four front office executives voluntarily left the franchise.
4) I was informed at the end of the summer that changes to the scouting department/general manager’s office were put on hold due to the pending resignation of the front office officials who left. The concern was there would be too much of a “brain drain” leaving the franchise.
5) The security of Mayock and everyone else will hinge on the results, and considering all
the mayhem in the organization since May, the Raiders and their fans have to be pleased
with the results to date.
Tony Pauline Mailbag (10/20/21): NFL Draft QB prospects
What would have to happen down the latter half of the college football season for one of these QBs to entrench himself as the top QB of the class? And who do you think that could be?
The season is just a part of the equation. I don’t believe any QB will entrench themselves as the No. 1 by December. Rather, the postseason (Senior Bowl practices, NFL Combine workouts, pro day workouts) will be the ultimate factor. We talked about this at length in this week’s edition of Between the Hashes, primarily as it relates to Kenny Pickett.
Which teams in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft should go in wanting a quarterback?
You’ve got to believe Detroit, Carolina, Washington, and Denver.
What’s your general read on Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman?
Except for his size and stature, I like him a lot and wrote about Hartman at length over the
summer. He’s smart, has a terrific arm, uses his targets well, and protects the football. Very underrated.
The Tony Pauline Mailbag (10/20/21): Other prospects
Every prospect comes with risk – but is there one prospect that sticks out as being the safest in the 2022 NFL Draft class?
Chris Olave and Aidan Hutchinson.
Kayvon Thibodeaux dominated the action against UCLA this past weekend. Is that what we can expect from him in the NFL?
If he stays healthy, the sky is the limit for Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has been my highest-rated player by a lot since the summer.
Is there value to be found in the running back position after the consensus top two players (Hall, Spiller), or does it fall off a cliff after those two?
There’s kind of a contradictory question. There is a drop-off, but players like CJ Verdell of Oregon, Kennedy Brooks of Oklahoma, and Brian Robinson of Alabama will be good middle-round picks. It’s just they are scheme-specific ball carriers.