The life of an NFL general manager is a busy one, and they have many duties to perform to ensure their team is competitive. They must sign free agents, negotiate contracts, run a full scouting department, constantly evaluate players, make trades and perform various public relations duties for their team. But perhaps the most important duty of all is the one that has by far the most impact on their team’s success, and that’s selecting players at the NFL Draft each spring.
When Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie took over in 2012 following the death of Al Davis, the cupboard was bare as far as talent, cap space and picks.