Reports of Raiders scouts sent home, Gruden and Mayock ‘don’t know who to trust’

We are less than a week from the start of the 2019 draft and there are reports of some pretty serious turmoil at Raiders headquarters in Alameda. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the entire scouting department has been sent home and won’t return for the draft.

“They don’t know who to trust” is not a good statement. Especially after reports last year of Gruden having his own scouts and a different draft board than former GM Reggie McKenzie and his scouting department. A report Gruden did not deny outright, but downplayed it saying he has a couple guys who work for the coaches but “it doesn’t intersect with the scouting, it’s a completely different agenda.”

That reported divide was thought to have been put in the past with Reggie McKenzie’s firing late last season. Though many in his scouting department remain with the team, including his brother Raleigh McKenzie.

Perhaps more details on this will be revealed at some point, but regardless, this is not a positive development with less than a week until the draft with Mike Mayock in his first ever draft as an NFL GM.

Update: While not knowing “who to trust” is never a good thing in a draft prep situation, it may not be unusual to clear out the scouting staff at this point.