Behind the Scenes of the Raiders NFL Draft Part Four

In this series of articles taking you inside the Las Vegas Raiders 2023 NFL Draft, we take you through the sixth and seventh rounds with our final article.

HENDERSON, Nev.--Las Vegas Raiders General Manager Dave Ziegler guided the Silver and Black through his second NFL Draft, but the first with a full quiver of picks to shape the franchise's future.

We worked the phones for weeks in preparation for the 2023 NFL Draft, which continued through that weekend, and after as I garnered information from multiple people around the NFL on what happened behind the scenes of this colossal event.

Here is part four of those nuggets of information:

· The Raiders felt very good after their first five rounds. They should have.

· The last day of the NFL Draft is an exercise in finding diamonds in the rough.

· Even with that reality, they had picked up the impactful and significant players in rounds four and five, and there was still value on the board.

· By the time the sixth round had kicked off, people wanted linebackers and offensive linemen.

· Ziegler wanted value.

· He understood that, at this point, value meant more than position. Why select a guy that probably won’t make your roster so that you can appease fans that you selected a position?

· Additionally, they had to consider if, the way the board was developing, was there some draft-worthy players that could fall to the UDFA route.

· There was a long way to go, and while the UDFA consideration had to be ever-present, it wasn’t the most pressing matter.

· As the draft unfolded, there were several surprise picks; there always is.

· But, on the last day is when the best scouting staffs separate themselves.

· Ziegler isn’t arrogant, doesn’t have an arrogant bone in him, but he does have confidence. He trusts his team and knows that no one in the NFL has outworked them.

· While media and fans tend to miss a lot as the picks become more obscure and faster, the diligent staff had set up their draft boards so as not to panic. This is when their hard work pays off.

· The Raiders needed prospects at several positions, but as the board unfolded, one player was coming into focus.

· They needed a linebacker who could deliver sure tackling but one who could also do it in space and coverage.

· The Raiders liked Florida Gators linebacker Amari Burney. The cousin of Brandon Facyson, they shared a trait that Ziegler loved; Burney had grit.

· The former safety had transitioned to linebacker, and with his speed and vision, he seemed like an ideal sixth-round pick.

· Burney was a guy that offered a massive upside, and he had a love for the game.

· The will and want to was evident in 2022 for the Florida Gators.

· During his career in Gainesville, he was productive but not NFL-worthy.

· Burney didn’t quit, and he didn’t stop. When new head coach Billy Napier arrived with a proven staff of teachers, he flourished.

· He got better each week in his role as an outside linebacker. While not the biggest, his coverage skills improved each week when the ball was in front of him, and he started to flash almost immediately NFL ability.

· He was a project for sure, but he had the intangibles. He had the speed and coverage skills, was a sure tackler, and made impact plays.

· Every time they put the film of the young man on the screen, teams could see he was improving.

· Was he NFL ready to start right now? No. But he was versatile, and he had the hunger for football, a proven track record of ability to take coaching, and the heart to put it to use.

· In the sixth round, the Raiders would for sure get a player with a very high ceiling and very little risk for regression.

· The Silver and Black needed playmakers, and Burney had the possibility of being a steal.

· His work ethic and skill set made him a solid pick.

· Teams I spoke to varied on the young man. Everyone praised his work ethic, but his style didn’t fit every scheme.

· That didn’t matter in the draft room in Henderson. He fit their scheme, and more importantly, he had the tough, physical love for the game that takes a sixth-round chance on him was worth it.

· His ability to cover in man-to-man was impressive for a linebacker, and his ability to cover tight ends and in a zone was impressive.

· Another thing that mattered to the Raiders was that he was related to Brandon Facyson. After one year with the Colts, they brought him back during the 2023 NFL offseason.

· Facyson has a tremendous want to, his work ethic is exceptional, and he is a “glue” guy in the locker room.

· Everything lined up for Burney, and the Raiders were thrilled to get him.

· I constantly tell you that I rate players on several things.

· To be frank, the only ratings or draft grades that really matter come after four years.

· But we grade now on value and what they offer.

· Multiple teams I spoke to had varying opinions. Those that had him ranked low were because he didn’t fit their scheme.

· Those that valued him, like the Raiders, loved what they had seen, albeit limited in only one year of superior coaching.

· I graded Burney as C-based on all of that. He had various grades, from a fifth-round pick to an undrafted free agent.

· The Raiders didn’t take any unreasonable risk, and I wouldn’t call it a reach. Other teams had him valued there as well, but like nearly all sixth-rounder selections, he is a diamond-in-the-rough, but he sure looks promising.

· Burney wasn’t the sexy pick, but it again demonstrated Ziegler’s patience. He had let the draft come to him. The Raiders won’t be in the Super Bowl next season, but drafting players like Burney in the sixth round gave you the shot at homegrown talent.

· When Dave Ziegler looks at guys, he and his staff do their homework.

· Burney wasn’t a finished product, but there were no warning signs from a work ethic or character issue. He loved the game; he loved it so much that he was willing to be coached and learn his craft.

· Ziegler explained the pick like this: “He started as a safety, played linebacker at Florida this year. That's a transition that's not super easy to make, just your line of vision and how you see the game from a safety position to a linebacker position. Obviously, it's a lot quicker reaction from the linebacker spot. We thought he's done a really good job over his career developing as a linebacker. He does also have that coverage ability that you kind of see that safety background. I think in college sometimes they line those guys up to make them play a little bit more man coverage. You don't see a lot of linebackers in the pros play man coverage anymore. Obviously, you do it a little bit in cover one. One of the things we look at when we're watching linebackers at the pro level or college level is their ability to close space and zone because that's really what they're asked to do more than anything else is drop into zone and close space, and he could do that. Also had a couple good plays playing tight ends and things like that down the seam. So, I think he's a versatile guy who's still growing. Impeccable traits; was one of the most highly thought of guys there at that Florida program. Went down there for the Pro Day this year, myself and Champ [Kelly] were down there and got to see him in person. He ran a 4.51. Some clocks they had him at a 4.48/4.49, so he's a kid who can run. Excited about the athleticism that he brings and excited about the mentality that he brings too.”

· This pick was smart, and enough of those picks would set the Raiders up for long-term success.

· As the seventh round approached, the undrafted free agent market was emphasized.

· Teams are not allowed to contact players before the draft's conclusion. Still, you are looking at your draft board, analyzing what teams have already taken, and trying to project who you can sign as an undrafted free agent and who you have to draft, because the bidding market would be outrageous after.

· There was one player.

· One player who many shook their head on was a young man lost in the transition of transferring to Arizona State. His name was Nesta Jade Silvera.

· The Raiders had used one of their coveted 30-visits to bring him in.

· Many teams reserved that for day one and two prospects, but the Raiders had inside information.

· Dave Ziegler explained it: “We were, just with the production that he had he this year at Arizona State. He had started his career at Miami and transferred to Arizona State and he was a really disruptive player this year. He wasn't a player who I had been able to spend much time on prior to draft meetings. I'm only able to watch so many players, but when we put on the tape it was just surprising to see this inside player and just how disruptive he was in the run game. A lot of penetration, a lot of plays where he's in the backfield and just a lot of plays where he's finding the football and making tackles. And so, those guys are hard to find. Sometimes these guys that are transferring and things like that can get lost in the shuffle a little bit, but Antonio Pierce had knew him from his recruiting days while he was at Arizona State. So, he had some knowledge of him. And then the new head coach at Arizona State wasn't there with Nesta but is in the building now and obviously he has connections. Kenny Dillingham was someone who I coached at Chaparral High School when I was coaching high school football in Arizona. So, there was some connections for us just to learn a little bit about his journey, learn about who he was, and we he was also a guy we brought in for 30 visit. So, we got to spend some time with him in the building and, yeah, really excited that he was there. And again, there's going to be a lot of competition in that defensive tackle room. Everyone's going to have to buckle up and bring their best every day because there's going to be a lot of hungry people in that room.”

· Like Byron Young, who the Raiders had selected in the third round, he was a disruptive force in the rushing defense.

· He hadn’t flashed as a pass rusher like Young had, but at this pick in the draft, that didn’t matter.

· Ziegler was not happy with the inside attack on the rushing defense in 2022, and here was a disruptor, an attacker, and he loved him.

· The Raiders had him with a fifth-round grade. I gave the pick a C, but not because of hate for the Raiders.

· People in the league that I respect, who have proven to develop defensive tackles, had him as a seventh-round or a UDFA.

· As one executive pointed out: “We didn’t have the inside connection to the kid like you told me Dave did. That makes sense. To build a winning franchise in this league, you must do it through drafting. The more inside information you have, the better you look. I don’t know all that Dave has, but a top 30 visit, and the information tells me a lot. I think some guys at DT we had higher than him were available, but it wasn’t a bad or wrong pick.”

· As the draft ended, universally, the Raiders were lauded for their draft.

· One league executive said: “It was sexy but good. Dave got the value you must get at the top, and the potential at the bottom. That was a good weekend for the Raiders folks.”

The Raiders' offseason workout schedule is as follows:

OTA Offseason workouts: May 22-23, May 25, May 31-June 2, June 12-15

Mandatory Minicamp: June 6-8

Rookie Minicamp: May 12-14

Please tell us your thoughts when you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.