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The Las Vegas Raiders selected tight end Michael Mayer in the second round (35th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft. Mayer was a standout at Notre Dame over the past two seasons, combining for 138 catches, 1,649 yards, and 16 touchdowns. In 2022, he caught 67 passes for 809 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Raiders traded up for the 6-foot-4 tight end, so he has potential in Las Vegas' offense in year one. But the rookie was absent from practice on Wednesday.
Is Mayer injured or healthy? Should you draft him this season? Let's take a closer look.
Is Michael Mayer Injured Or Healthy?
Mayer's absence from practice on Wednesday marks two consecutive days that the rookie has missed training camp. He was also out on Tuesday. The Raiders haven't said anything about the injury yet and are keeping it quiet for now.
Other than that, we don't have any other information on Mayer at this time. All we know is that he appears to be battling some injury. The rookie tight end left practice early on Saturday and was still not on the field after two off days on Sunday and Monday.
There's no reason to panic just yet about Mayer's injury. He could easily be back on the field in the next couple of days and be 100% ready to go. If it is something a little more serious, he has just under one month to get right before the Raiders take on the Denver Broncos in Week 1.
Michael Mayer 2023 Fantasy Football Outlook
With the Raiders just cutting tight end O.J. Howard, Mayer will compete with veteran Austin Hooper for the starting tight end spot in Vegas. Even if he wins the job, though, it might be hard to trust him every week in fantasy this season.
Rookie tight ends always struggle in their rookie season, and Mayer will surely have his ups and downs in his first year. Only two tight ends in the last 14 years have reached over 600 yards in their rookie campaign -- Kyle Pitts (2021) and Evan Engram (2017). Since 1999, there have only been four.
That doesn't bode well for Mayer in his first season. The Raiders tight end will likely be a nice red zone target for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. However, given the recent rookie tight end struggles, he shouldn't be high on drafts boards this year.
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