Las Vegas Raider GM John Spytek stayed under the radar during last year's draft, but now he'll be front and center.
Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytek managed to stay mostly under the radar during the Pete Carroll debacle, but Spytek is front and center now that the coach has been fired. Spytek spent a huge amount of money in free agency to help plug some of the holes in the roster, and now he faces an even bigger test in his second draft for Las Vegas.
Paul Gutierrez is the columnist for the team website, and he touched base with Spytek as the GM arrived for the spring meetings in Arizona to get some draft thoughts from Spytek, so let’s see if we can get some clues about where the Raiders are going.
"Yeah, I like the draft way more than I like free agency," Spytek said. "So, it's actually like a breath of fresh air to get into the draft prep. But it's just … you're onto the next thing and there's not a lot of time in between [free agency and the draft].
"And so, we got through the first wave and there's still a few things that we might do here and there to kind of bolster the roster. But all eyes are fixated towards the draft now."
The free-agency adds include the likes of linebackers Nakobe Deal and Quay Walker, edge rusher Kwity Paye, receiver Jalen Nailor and center Tyler Linderbaugh. The Raiders also landed cornerback Taron Johnson in a trade with Buffalo, and they re-signed cornerback Eric Stokes and defensive end Malcolm Koonce.
Spytek praised his personnel staff for their free-agency prep work, and he also talked about the specific goals the Raiders had as they made the series of signings.
"We wanted to get younger, we wanted to target the right kind of people and so I'm just proud of the work that they put in," Spytek said.
The final piece of the puzzle was the new coaching staff, but it took a while for the staff come together given that the Raiders had to wait until after the Super Bowl to announce the hiring of Klint Kubiak.
Gutierrez also asked about the quarterback situation given that the Raiders are expected to take Fernando Mendoza with the top pick and add a veteran QB as well. But Spytek talked up QB Aidan O’Connell, who’s the only quarterback on the roster at the moment. This is part of the drill, but no one believes O’Connell will be anything more than the third quarterback at this point.
Last year’s draft was tough to evaluate given the coaching mess and the awful season that followed, but Spytek knows the spotlight will shine brighter this time around. He knows he has to nail the draft, too, and he’s mostly okay with that.
"I don't know if I am more comfortable, I don't think this is a job of comfort," he said. "A little more confidence, maybe, knowing what's coming. Knowing that … you'll be able to just take the information as it comes and deal with it.”