As common knowledge within the Raider Nation, the Las Vegas Raiders had recently drafted rookie Tight-End Michael Mayer as the 35th Overall Pick (2nd Round) from Notre Dame. A pickup that many would consider one of the biggest steals of the draft due to Mayer being projected as the #1 rated prospect of the Tight-End position to be taken at earliest, midway through the 1st Round. A Super-Star that the front office as well as the NFL media has compared Michael Mayer to is future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski (Former ex-Patriot and Bucs Tight-End). This can be due to the connection to Josh McDaniels who utilizes Tight-Ends at an extreme-level, developing great offensive players like Gronk. The speculations of Mayer becoming the next Gronk can also be due to Mayer stating that he sees himself as Gronk, being a “do it all type of guy”. However, a player that many in the Raider Nation have compared “Baby Gronk” to, is an Old-School Hall of Fame Raider Dave “The Ghost” Casper. Now this won’t be a statement that Michael Mayer will be the next Dave Casper, but an analysis on Mayer’s prospective value to potentially become the next Dave Casper. Now to know how Michael Mayer can be like Dave Casper, let’s understand who Dave Casper and Michael Mayer are first.
Dave Casper Paragraph:
Dave Casper is known as one of the most iconic figures within Raiders’ franchise history. Drafted by the Oakland Raiders as the 45th Overall Pick (2nd Round) from Notre Dame during the 1974 NFL Draft. Coming out of college as a 2x 1st-Team All-American, Casper was a Lineman who was progressing into the receiving role of the Tight-End position. However, the young Casper back then was still seen by the NFL as an Offensive Lineman. The Great Al Davis sought after the prospect, in order to develop him into what would be known today as the true– Old-School Tight-End. Transitioning into the NFL alongside his senior college year jersey #87, Casper wouldn’t become a starter until his 3rd season with the Silver and Black. During that same season, Casper had produced 53 receptions, 691 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns, these would rank Casper the 8th most receptions, 2nd most receiving yards (in the TE position), and the 3rd most receiving touchdowns in the league. Casper would then help the Oakland Raiders win the 1977 Super-Bowl, achieving not only Pro-Bowl status, but be rewarded as the 1st-Team All-Pro of the 1976-77 Season. After that, Casper would later on achieve an additional consecutive amount of 4 Pro-Bowl statuses (3 being 1st-Team All-Pro), transforming himself as a clutch-catching, team-leading, freak of nature before being traded to the Houston Oilers (1981)… who then traded Casper to the Minnesota Vikings (1983). After no success with either team, “The Ghost” returned to the Silver and Black as a Los Angeles Raider in 1984, striding through his very last season in the league by helping the Raiders win their 2nd Super-Bowl. Dave Casper retired after the Super Bowl victory. His 11-year career later on earned him the official status of a NFL Hall of Famer in 2002 (including being rewarded to be a member of the All-1970s Hall of Fame Team).
Michael Mayer Paragraph:
A quick recap on who Michael Mayer is. Just like Dave Casper, Michael Mayer also played for Notre Dame from 2020-23. May not have played as an Offensive Lineman, however, was still playing as a receiving lineman (or basically a heavy-blocking based Tight-End). Standing at 6’4’’ and around 250lbs (identical to Casper’s size), Mayer was also coming out of college as the 1st-Team All-American of the 2022-23 season, finishing his college career with 180 receptions, 2099 receiving yards, and 18 touchdowns in 36 games. Mayer would also finish as the new all-time record holder for Notre Dame, ranked #1 in college-career receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns at the Tight-End position. Many sports analysts including the media had seen Mayer, no doubtably, as a 1st Round pick. However, as we all know, Mayer fell into the 2nd Round, where the Raiders front office decided to trade up to claim the rookie Tight-End. Fast-forward to the present, Michael Mayer is now competing for the starting TE1 position, while wearing
Dave Casper’s jersey #87.
How Does Michael Mayer Have This Type of Potential?
Now the potential that Mayer shows in comparison to Casper, is specifically the playstyle of the Tight-End position. While both Tight-Ends came from different offensive-systems, Casper being Al Davis’ “West-Coast” offense while Mayer was part of Marcus Freeman’s “Jumbo TE-Set” offense, the two athletes were utilized the same way. Both players were used as in-line blocking Tight-Ends who play as the “safe-blanket” receivers for their respective Quarterbacks when pre-snap plans begin to fall apart post-snap. Mayer was deemed one of the best blocking Tight-End prospects in the NFL draft, allowing only 1 pressure and 0 sacks after 358 passing snaps of his senior year at Notre Dame. This technically causes Mayer to be seemingly in a lucky situation. Mayer will be now playing inside Josh McDaniel’s offensive system as a “safe-blanket” for Las Vegas Raiders’ Quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo. Now when it comes to receiving, Mayer and Casper are nearly identical. Both Tight-Ends have been positioned on the offensive line, inside the slot, and even been placed wide as receivers. They may not be as quick as receivers, but their agile athleticism and power have been disruptive against opposing defensive secondaries and tacklers. Both Tight-Ends have been utilized as Red-Zone weapons. Casper averaged as 1⁄3 of the Raiders receiving touchdowns (1976-80) while Mayer averaged as 1⁄4 of Notre Dame’s receiving touchdowns (2020-23). Michael Mayer can develop as the swiss-army knife type of threat that this offense needs to forcefully deconstruct opposing secondaries and defend against opposing defensive linemen.
Conclusion:
Michael Mayer may not develop as the next Dave Casper in specific areas, however, Michael Mayer has the undoubtful potential to become a seeked out threat by opposing defenses. Being called out, double-teamed, or even having to face defensive schemes that are meant to specifically shut down Mayer’s production. With all being already stated, Mayer’s value on the field can be seen as possibly the best value from a Tight-End the Raiders’ have not seen since the winning days. The sky’s the limit for Mayer, while the floor is not too far down. Hopefully, Josh McDaniels can show the Raiders’ franchise that he can develop Michael Mayer into a future top Tight-End in the NFL for years to come.
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