TEs Casper, Mayer, Anything but Second Best

Las Vegas Raiders Dave Casper and Michael Mayer are terrific talents and anything but second-best players coming out of Notre Dame.

The Las Vegas Raiders pulled off an absolute steal last year when they selected tight end Michael Mayer of Notre Dame in the second round (No. 35 overall) of the National Football League Draft after most mock drafts predicted he would be chosen during the first round.

The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Mayer, a 2022 first-team All-American for the Fighting Irish, is a potent blocker and receiver who stepped right into the starting lineup for the Silver and Black as a rookie.

Mayer caught 27 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns, although many observers believe he should have utilized much more in the Raiders’ passing game.

“The Raiders have had so many good tight ends, including Dave Casper, there’s no doubt about that,” Mayer said of the rich tradition of Silver and Black tight ends. “They know how to use tight ends. I think I fit in very well within the offense. ... It’s coming in, it’s doing what they’re asking me to do because it’s about winning football games, and that’s what they drafted me to do. I just hope to improve on what I did as a rookie.”

Said Luke Getsy, the Raiders’ new offensive coordinator: “(Mayer) is a cool blend at tight end, he can do a little bit of everything right. Any time you are evaluating players, you’re trying to see how diverse they can be, and the flexibility for a player just allows you to be more dynamic as an offense, and I think that’s what's exciting about working with Michael.”

Longtime members of Raider Nation already predict that Mayer will give the Silver and Black what they had with Casper, who was also selected in the second round (No. 45) out of Notre Dame in 1971 and became the best tight end in franchise history.

The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Casper sat behind outstanding tight ends Raymond Chester and Bob Moore for two years before becoming a starter, but he caught 226 passes for 2,918 yards and 28 touchdowns in the next four seasons.

Casper played on what has been called the best offensive line in NFL history, which also included center Jim Otto, tackle Art Shell, and guard Gene Upshaw -- all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I think (Casper) is the best tight end in the league,” said Raiders quarterback Kenny Stabler, another Hall of Famer, who threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Casper as the Raiders routed the Minnesota Vikings, 32-14 in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Las Vegas Raiders Dave Casper and Michael Mayer are terrific talents and anything but second-best players coming out of Notre Dame / Dexter Ernest Wayne Carpenter, Raiders Today

“I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have. He’s very intelligent and just knows how to get open. He knows how to beat a defensive back one-on-one or find the open spot in a zone. He’s so big and strong, he overpowers anybody he goes against, blocking or receiving. If other teams try to double up on (wide receivers) Fred Biletnikoff or Cliff Branch, Casper can kill them.”

Casper was a consensus All-American at Notre Dame before being a four-time All-Pro selection, playing in five Pro Bowls, and was selected to the National Football League’s 1970s All-Decades Team.

In 1980, Casper left the Raiders to rejoin Stabler with the Houston Oilers. He also played for the Minnesota Vikings before returning to the Raiders for his final season in the NFL in 1984.

In eight seasons with the Raiders, Casper caught 255 passes for 3,294 yards and 44 touchdowns, and for his 13-year NFL career, he had 378 receptions for 5,216 yards, a 13.8-yard average, and 52 touchdowns.

Casper was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 2002, and although Mayer has a long way to go, he might be headed in that direction based on what he achieved in his rookie season.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.

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