Few NFL Draft prognosticators envisioned the Raiders selecting offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood with the No. 17 overall pick.
Perhaps they underestimated how much Jon Gruden would be enamored with the tackle’s surname.
Gruden selecting Leatherwood is the perfect selection of the NFL Draft. For starters, Gruden has completely off the board for the second straight year — a proud Raiders tradition. Last April, the Raiders took cornerback Damon Arnette in the first round.
NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller remarked that Arnette was his 99th-ranked player. Leatherwood was his No. 69 overall player (nice).
But also, it’s too perfect for Gruden to draft a player named “Leatherwood.” I mean, this stuff writes itself.
“There's no way you can hand Jon Gruden a list of names, regardless of the purpose, and not have him select the person named Leatherwood,” tweeted journalist David Roth. “I guess if there was also a guy named like Bulge Spikes it'd be close.”
Of course, Mike Mayock is the general manager of the Raiders, so it’s likely he’s on board with Leatherwood, too. But it’s much more fun to imagine Gruden sitting in a darkened film room, sweat dripping down his face, and just muttering one name over and over again: “Leatherwood.”
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