Oakland Raiders' 2013 Draft Class Losing Steam in Critical 3rd Year

Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie deserves praise for some valuable draft picks over the past four seasons, but his 2013 class continues to disappoint.

Player	Position	Round
D.J. Hayden	CB	1
Menelik Watson	RT	2
Sio Moore	OLB	3
Latavius Murray	RB	6
Mychal Rivera	TE	6
Stacy McGee	DT	6
Brice Butler	WR	7

In the offseason, seven out of 10 picks from 2013 draft competed for a spot on the 53-man roster. Two of those players were traded and one landed on injured reserve before Week 2. The four remaining talents haven’t impressed on a major scale in a critical third season—only one holds a firm grip on a starting position going into Week 13. 

Three seasons provide an adequate sample to evaluate a particular draft class. McKenzie’s third-year players stepped into the spotlight expecting to leave their mark on an improved roster and shrunk under the microscope.

Trading Assets: Sio Moore and Brice Butler

The Raiders front office parted ways with two fan favorites in linebacker Sio Moore and wide receiver Brice Butler. In fairness, neither player has made a significant impact on his new team.

Moore lost his starting position to Malcolm Smith while rehabbing after hip surgery in the offseason, as reported by CSNBayArea.com reporter Scott Bair.

During a preseason press conference with local reporters, head coach Jack Del Rio essentially dismissed Moore as a potential role player.

One day before final roster cuts, the front office sent Moore to the Indianapolis Colts for a sixth-round pick.

Butler showed potential as an high-caliber wideout in preseason but failed to make an impact when the games counted.

In 2014, the Raiders wide receiver group featured Andre Holmes and James Jones as primary targets. Butler's numbers remained trivial, catching 21 passes for 280 yards through 15 games. 

The Raiders traded Butler and a sixth-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys for a conditional fifth-round pick. Thus far, he’s caught three passes with his new team.

Injury-Plagued: Menelik Watson

Offensive tackle Menelik Watson’s preseason play teased the coaching staff with the possibility for a breakout season. Unfortunately, he ruptured his Achilles tendon in the third exhibition game, ending his season before it officially started. 

The former second-round pick has started 12 games in three seasons and enters the final year on his contract with a lot to prove in 2016.

Austin Howard continues to fill in as a decent replacement. He’s in the second year of a five-year, $30 million deal. Both right tackles likely enter another position battle in the offseason. Although, Watson’s injury history makes him an unreliable option.

Fading Reserves: Mychal Rivera and Stacy McGee

Tight end Mychal Rivera and defensive tackle Stacy McGee came into the league with minimal expectations as sixth-round picks.

However, McGee has become another face in the crowd. He’s recorded 26 tackles and a half-sack as a reserve defensive lineman in three seasons. The decision to sign defensive tackle Dan Williams and Denico Autry’s improvement pushes McGee to the background.

Oakland upgraded quarterback Derek Carr’s passing targets, and Rivera’s production plummeted. In 2014, he logged the second-most receptions (58) and saw 99 targets as a receiver.

This season, the athletic tight end became an afterthought behind wideouts Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper and Seth Roberts in targets.

The Raiders front office also drafted dynamic tight end Clive Walford and signed tight end Lee Smith to boost pass-blocking efficiency on the edge. The acquisitions push Rivera further away from relevancy within a revamped offense. 

Average and Underachieving: Latavius Murray and D.J. Hayden

Cornerback D.J. Hayden entered the league with a compelling story. Most people enjoy feel-good stories about individuals overcoming unfortunate circumstances en route to success, but it hasn’t happened for Hayden.

After two injury-plagued seasons, the buzz surrounding his third season amped exponentially. Thus far, he’s shown slight improvement as a slot cornerback, but the coaching staff limited Hayden to five defensive snaps in Week 12.

Hayden’s status as starter remains unclear, but he’s no longer in the driver’s seat with cornerback David Amerson taking advantage of his opportunities in the starting lineup.

Running back Latavius Murray holds the only starting job among the Raiders' 2013 draftees. To his credit, he’s a sixth-round pick who worked his way into a prominent role. Although, Darren McFadden’s departure via free agency and Maurice Jones-Drew’s retirement cleared the path for Murray’s ascension as the lead ball-carrier in 2015.

Murray has logged 179 carries for 765 rushing yards and four touchdowns—on pace to eclipse 1,000 yards on the ground.

However, he’s not a top-tier talent capable of carrying an entire rushing offense on his back. He’s averaging 4.3 yards per carry, which ranks 17th in the league, and he’s failed to surpass 70 rushing yards in seven out of 11 games.

Murray also struggles with catching out of the backfield, grading minus-2.8 as a receiver, per Pro Football Focus.

Early Assessment on 2013 Draft

Thus far, the top three picks in the 2013 draft provided little production in 2015. Hayden could lose his starting job for the remainder of the season, Watson never played a down and Moore received the boot.

The best pick projects as a partial solution to the rushing offense—nothing close to stellar. 

McKenzie can certainly file 2013 as an overall draft miss. Fortunately, his 2014 draft class redeemed his judgment on talent. Cooper and defensive end Mario Edwards also look solid as rookies.

Nonetheless, the coaching staff must complement Murray with a solid combination tailback in the backfield, re-evaluate Hayden as a reserve defensive back and emphasize Rivera’s receiving skill set in two-tight end sets to maximize the leftover talent from a subpar draft class. 

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All statistics are provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, Pro Football Focus and Team Rankings unless otherwise noted.

Oakland Raiders transactions provided by Raiders.com.