Raiders Fans Thrilled by Michael Mayer Draft Pick After Darren Waller Trade to Giants

There was essentially a tight end swap in Vegas on Friday night.

The Raiders' trade of Darren Waller opened up a spot for former Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer, who was drafted with pick No. 35 after a trade up.

Waller played three seasons in Las Vegas, highlighted by a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2020 after racking up a career-best 1,196 receiving yards.

His numbers have dipped since, and he was limited by injury to just six starts (nine games) and 388 receiving yards in 2022.

Meanwhile, Mayer was making Notre Dame history in his junior season by becoming the school's all-time leader in receptions. He finished the campaign as the Fighting Irish's first All-American tight end since College Football Hall of Famer Ken MacAfee in 1977.

In many Raiders' fans eyes, that college career indicates Mayer could be a satisfactory replacement for Waller.

Mayer's selection only added to Raiders fans' excitement from Thursday, when the team drafted defensive end Tyree Wilson with the seventh overall pick. Wilson was named to the All-Big 12 first team in 2021 after recording 38 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss for Texas Tech and could add a spark to the Vegas defense.

Raiders fans will now await to see what general manager Dave Ziegler does as Vegas prepares to select twice in Round 3 with the No. 70 and No. 100 picks.