Jon Gruden Defends 2018 NFL Draft Picks: 'I Don't Really Hear All the Skeptics'

Jon Gruden's first draft since returning as head coach of the Oakland Raiders has been met with some criticism.

Per Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group, Gruden isn't letting that bother him.

"Well, I don't really hear all the skeptics," he said. "I have a cellphone too that works. I got a lot of coaches and friends in the NFL that are ecstatic about the picks that we made. And I apologize to people that don't like our picks and that are skeptical, and I also realize we have to prove that we did the right thing."

Through the first three rounds of the draft, Oakland has selected offensive tackle Kolton Miller, defensive tackle P.J. Hall, offensive tackle Brandon Parker and defensive end Arden Key.

The Raiders also traded a third-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for wide receiver Martavis Bryant.

B/R lead NFL scout Doug Farrar wrote an article about Oakland's draft so far, titled, "What Are the Raiders Doing?"

"When Miller gets low to provide leverage and plays with a wide base, he's an acceptable left tackle prospect, but there's technique work to be done before he's able to consistently deal with the NFL's best edge-rushers," Farrar wrote about Oakland's top pick.

B/R's Matt Miller asked on Twitter what the Raiders were doing when they traded up in the third round to select Parker.

Gruden is returning to head coaching after spending the past nine seasons as a broadcaster for ESPN's Monday Night Football. The 54-year-old went 95-81 with one Super Bowl title in 11 seasons with the Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1998 to 2008.