Mayock Says Muse Plays Like A Raider
Las Vegas Raiders general manager Mike Mayock picked three Clemson players in the 2019 NFL Draft. First-rounder Clelin Ferrell, second-rounder Trayvon Mullen and fifth-rounder Hunter Renfrow.
Mayock added another Tiger Friday night, safety Tanner Muse. The Raiders selected Muse late in the third round with pick number 100.
In an interview Friday, Mayock was asked if he took notice of Muse while watching draft tape from last year.
"It's hard to bookmark Clemson players, because there are so many of them," Mayock said. "We watched the national championship game a year ago multiple times and Muse stood out."
Las Vegas head coach Jon Gruden told Muse on the phone Friday that he wanted to keep the Clemson pipeline hot.
"Just be yourself and enjoy the moment," Gruden told Muse before the Raiders made the pick.
Mayock said he was sold on Muse after watching him make a play early in the 2019 season against Texas A&M.
"I told (Tanner) on a Zoom call that I watched him stick his foot in the ground against A&M and chase down a screen from 30 yards behind him. At that point I knew he played like a Raider," Mayock said. "He impressed me because he played all over the field, then blew people away at 227 pounds he ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine."
Mayock said Muse will be a core special teams player, and will be expected to learn both the Will and Mike linebacker positions.
"While he's getting 25 snaps a game on special teams he will be learning to play linebacker," Mayock said. "He's one of the smartest and intuitive players in this draft so we expect him to learn both positions."
