Oakland Raiders: Revisiting Reggie McKenzie’s laughable NFL Draft history
By Kevin Saito
2015 – Amari Cooper, Mario Edwards Jr., Clive Walford, Jon Feliciano, Ben Heeney, Neiron Ball, Max Valles, Anthony Morris, Andre Debose, Dexter McDonald
2015 brought very mixed results – results that trend more toward the bust, rather than the boom side of the ledger. Cooper was sensational in his first two seasons, but less than that over the next two (or one and a half).
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Drops continually plagued him and he never truly lived up to his billing or potential in Silver and Black. He seemed to thrive most when the Raiders had Michael Crabtree on the other side, garnering plenty of attention. Yet, when Crabtree struggled, Cooper never stepped up. He too, wilted.
Only thriving in the shadow of somebody else is not what you want out of your supposed WR1.
Feliciano is a serviceable backup lineman and may be the most consistent performer in the entire class, as guys like Edwards and Walford never developed, and some of these guys didn’t even make it out of camp. Has anybody heard from Valles at any point over the last couple of years?
Heeney gave it his all and left it on the field, you can’t take that away from him. He’s got plenty of heart and became a fan favorite for that very reason. He just didn’t have the athleticism to be a difference-making linebacker for the team.
All in all, 2015 was not a good drafting year for McKenzie.