The Las Vegas Raiders waived 2021 first-round pick Alex Leatherwood this Tuesday. That move just continues an awful trend for the franchise.
Since 2005, only three of the Raiders’ 18 first-round picks have been given second contracts by the team – Michael Huff, Darren McFadden and Kolton Miller.
To make matters worse, all the first-round picks the Raiders have made from 2020-2021 are already off the roster. Henry Ruggs III and Damon Arnette were released last year.
At this point, it’s up to either Johnathan Abram or Josh Jacobs to earn a second contract from the Raiders.
Fortunately for the Raiders, the regime that made most of these draft picks is gone.
Now, the Raiders are led by head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler.
In their first draft together, McDaniels and Ziegler selected Dylan Parham, Zamir White, Neil Farrell, Matthew Butler, Thayer Munford and Brittain Brown.
The Raiders parted ways with this year’s first-round pick in a trade for Davante Adams. Considering their recent draft history, that was probably the best possible move they could make.