Draft Haul Proves GM Tom Telesco and Coach Antonio Pierce are on the Same Page

The Las Vegas Raiders entered this offseason with a new general manager-head coach duo who, although in their first season together, faced a critical NFL Draft in their short time together. Tom Telesco and Antonio Pierce needed a successful draft haul, starting with the No. 13 pick. 

The draft selections before the Raiders’ selection had a few surprises, leaving the front office with their most critical decision already at hand. After the picks that preceded them went unexpectedly, the Raiders had to decide between drafting for need or the best player.

They made a clear decision and drafted the best player available. In doing so, the Raiders made a decision they collectively agreed upon, even if others didn’t, confirming the two were working comfortably.

"Pretty similar,” Telesco said when asked how he and Pierce analyzed the situation when it was time to select. “AP [Antonio Pierce] was great to work with through the whole three days. It's kind of a long process—a lot of sitting around, talking, thinking, thinking out scenarios. Every pick you make could impact something else, so he's a great sounding board with that.”

He's got great perspective, which is great. And then even watching how Brandon Yeargan, Champ Kelly, and JoJo Wooden all work together is really satisfying. And, like I said, we're going to get a lot better over the next couple of years once we've worked with each other a lot more. The whole process will be better next year, and we'll start that tomorrow. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe Monday. But yeah, all in all, I was pretty impressed with everybody." 

Telesco said he is always mindful of the team’s needs before and after each selection to ensure he addresses the roster’s most pressing needs.

"Yeah, so what I'll do sometimes, late in the process. I'll look at the board and just say first-round wise, this is kind of where the players are,” Telesco said.

“Because it's not like in the first round you've got every position group we have a player to take and maybe a position group that's a little bit of a weak point here, so I'll look up there and basically say, 'Hey, in the first round we're looking at these three or four positions more than likely.' How does that line up with our short-term needs and long-term needs?’

“I'll do that the first three rounds; after, I really can't do that. But yeah, I'll kind of eye it up, and then we'll do some different things that if we take a certain position in the first round, 'how will that affect second and third?' But that's kind of how it rolls."

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