Michael Mayer finally gets his moment; drafted 35th overall by Raiders

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WNDU) - His moment was pushed back to the second round on Friday night, but former Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer finally heard his name called in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Mayer was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the 35th overall pick. He was the third tight end to be drafted this year behind Utah’s Dalton Kincaid (Buffalo Bills – first round, 25th pick) and Iowa’s Sam LaPorta (Detroit Lions – second round, 34th pick).

The selection comes after many expected to hear Mayer’s name get called in the first round on Thursday night. According to Mike Berardino from our reporting partners at the South Bend Tribune, Mayer was projected to be Notre Dame’s seventh all-time first-round pick at the tight end position, and the first since Tyler Eifert went 21st overall to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013.

However, the most productive tight end in Notre Dame’s history only had to wait four picks into the second round to finally have his moment, as the Raiders traded up to the 35th selection with the Indianapolis Colts and called Mayer’s name.

Mayer’s new home is a place where he is no stranger to scoring touchdowns. He caught two of them last year during Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series win over BYU at Allegiant Stadium.

Last season, the Raiders finished 6-11 overall and third in the AFC West. They’ll have a new quarterback under center throwing to Mayer in Jimmy Garoppolo.

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