ALAMEDA — When Reggie McKenzie began rebuilding the Raiders from inside out, he became known within the walls of 1220 Harbor Bay Parkway as “the silent assassin.”

Hired by owner Mark Davis in 2012 to modernize, upgrade and rebuild the football operation, McKenzie replaced scouts and members of the support staff in a manner that was as ponderous as it was stealth.

Players with bloated contracts from the previous regime were shown the door — their contracts still counting against the salary cap — and the short term was sacrificed.

A team that was 8-8 when McKenzie arrived won 11 of 48 games over three seasons, and a frustrated fan base that hasn’t seen a winning season since 2002 and endured 10 seasons of 11 or more losses had run out of patience.

Finally, last season, came a hint of a breakthrough at 7-9. A growing number of knowledgeable observers believe the Raiders are playoff contenders in 2016.

McKenzie, 53, is working at the same pace he did as a trusted Packers personnel man, according to former Green Bay executive and ESPN business analyst Andrew Brandt.

“I’ve always said this about Reggie — he talks slow, he walks slow, he manages slow, but there’s a purpose to everything he does,” Brandt said, “and that purpose is sustained success.”

The Raiders embark on their fifth NFL draft under McKenzie on Thursday with the No. 14 selection in the first round and eight picks in all over three days.

McKenzie’s 19 years in Green Bay, where he rose from scout to director of player personnel under general managers Ron Wolf and then Ted Thompson, are at the core of everything he does.

There, he worked alongside three other men who are currently NFL general managers — Seattle’s John Schneider, Kansas City’s John Dorsey and Washington’s Scot McCloughan.

McKenzie hides his draft philosophy behind a poker player’s mentality but conceded that he has an idea what his former co-workers will be thinking at selection time.

“I know who they’re not going to take more so than who they’re going to take,” McKenzie said. “The overall philosophy is similar. Do I have a better feel for those guys than some of the guys I don’t know? Most likely, yes.”

McKenzie has stayed the course through inevitable mistakes. ESPN analyst and Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian said the best a general manager can hope for is a .575 average and McKenzie has on occasion swung and missed.

Dennis Allen, McKenzie’s first hire as a head coach, failed to make it through his third season, with Tony Sparano serving as an interim coach and Jack Del Rio taking over last year.

Not a single player remains from McKenzie’s first draft class in 2012. His first two picks in the 2013 draft, cornerback DJ Hayden and tackle Menelik Watson, have battled injuries, ineffectiveness or both.

Recruiting at first was a hard sell, and a number of early free agent signings of players past their prime got predictable results, with Charles Woodson a notable exception.

“His first two drafts, I thought, were suspect,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. “He missed in free agency signing older players early on.”

Then came the draft called the “Mother Lode” by ESPN analyst Merrill Hoge, with edge rusher Khalil Mack arriving in the first round, followed by quarterback Derek Carr in the second, guard Gabe Jackson in the third and defensive tackle Justin Ellis in the fourth.

The 2015 draft brought game-changing wide out Amari Cooper, defensive end Mario Edwards Jr., tight end Clive Walford and others who could figure prominently in the future.

The last two free agent classes have been fruitful — center Rodney Hudson, defensive tackle Dan Williams, wide receiver Michael Crabtree, linebacker Malcolm Smith, followed by this year’s quartet of guard Kelechi Osemeli, cornerback Sean Smith, linebacker Bruce Irvin and safety Reggie Nelson.

Only Nelson is in his 30s.

Former Raiders coach and ESPN analyst Jon Gruden thinks Carr has made all things possible.

“The Derek Carr selection at the top of the second round is his signature acquisition,” Gruden said. “When you have a quarterback, your program or city becomes a desirable destination for free agents.”

Mayock said McKenzie is “growing into a high-level general manager. You can see in his draft picks and you can see it in free agency.”

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said McKenzie’s drafting style is seeking “key players at priority positions,” such as quarterback, pass rusher and cornerback. Louis Riddick, also of ESPN and a former pro personnel director, said McKenzie follows the Green Bay model of “having prototypes at every position that they stick to … everyone wants big and fast players, but it’s all in how you execute it.”

McKenzie’s personal style will always be more tortoise than hare.

“I use the word deliberate, but deliberate should not be confused with complacent,” Brandt said. “He’s always trying to get better, but never in a hurry.”

For more on the Raiders, visit the Inside the Oakland Raiders blog at ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders. Follow Jerry McDonald on Twitter at twitter.com/Jerrymcd.