It could soon be the end of the line for the members of Reggie McKenzie’s 2013 draft class in Oakland.
That class featured cornerback DJ Hayden at the top, and Hayden’s time with the Raiders has been inconsistent and disappointing. Following Hayden came tackle Menelik Watson, linebacker Sio Moore, quarterback Tyler Wilson, tight end Nick Kasa, running back Latavius Murray, tight end Mychal Rivera, defensive tackle Stacy McGee, wide receiver Brice Butler and defensive end David Bass.
Moore, Wilson, Kasa, Butler and Bass already are long gone. Now, this offseason, the rookie contracts of Hayden, Watson, Murray, Rivera and McGee are up, meaning each can be an unrestricted free agent. McKenzie – balancing their production against their potential cost – will have to decide whether to let them walk or stay.
It seems most likely that Hayden and Rivera will be allowed to go. Hayden’s injuries and inconsistencies haven’t made him a standout player. And Rivera has been a solid receiver, but with the development of Clive Walford and the return of Lee Smith from injury, Rivera appears expendable.
That leaves Watson, Murray and McGee.
Watson may be the most vulnerable. He’s improved enough to win the starting job over veteran Austin Howard twice, yet injuries have knocked him out of the lineup and Howard has played very well in his absence. Howard, too, has two more years left on his deal with the Raiders, so McKenzie may move on from Watson, who was a second-round pick. If he does, that would mean the top six Raiders choices from the 2013 draft will be gone for 2017.
Murray and McGee, however, could be re-signed.
Raiders
Murray, when healthy, has earned his status as the team’s No. 1 back, and he showed the Raiders an ability to score touchdowns in goal-line situations this year (and had 12 TDs overall). He’s also a bigger, stronger back than DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard, and proved himself as a capable receiver, too, with 74 catches over the past two seasons.
Head coach Jack Del Rio, in fact, has wanted to see more of Murray, not less. In the regular-season finale, a loss to the Broncos, Del Rio told the media: “We didn’t run it enough. I mean, Latavius ends up with five carries. How does that happen?” That was part of the equation, no doubt, in replacing Bill Musgrave as offensive coordinator with Todd Downing.
And McGee – like Murray a sixth-round pick – has been a bargain as a capable big presence in the middle of the defensive line. In some games in 2016, McGee was among the Raiders’ best defensive players. In a victory over the Chargers in Week 5, he had two sacks, a hurry and two forced fumbles. He missed some time because of injuries, but McGee was good when in the lineup.
“It’s been a pretty productive year for me overall,” McGee told the San Francisco Chronicle.
McKenzie has plenty of issues to juggle this offseason, with possible long-term contracts for Derek Carr and Khalil Mack in the works and which free agents from other teams to pursue. After the next few months, it’s possible that the entire draft class of 2013 could be gone if the GM discovers better options that make more financial sense.
