Key Takeaways
- “This felt like John Spytek’s draft” — that’s how one rival exec described it, and around the league, that’s a compliment.
- Eight teams were asked about Jermod McCoy: Five said he was off their board entirely due to medical concerns. The Raiders did their homework anyway and remain optimistic he’ll play in 2026.
- The trade-down logic impressed rival GMs: Vegas picked up a fourth-round pick from Houston and still landed the same player — one GM called it “great value.”
- Nobody’s criticizing this class. If you find someone bashing it, they’re either hating or reaching.
The News
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler spent the days after the draft surveying league executives, coaches, and scouts on how all 32 teams fared. The Raiders came up — and the reviews were not mixed.
One rival exec put it plainly: “This felt like John Spytek’s draft.”
Consider that a good thing.
Last year, Pete Carroll’s fingerprints were all over the draft room. The 74-year-old head coach has a documented history of having too much input on personnel decisions — and historically, those teams have underperformed. This time, sources tell Fowler, the process looked different. Cleaner. More methodical. The decision-making had Spytek’s fingerprints on it, not Carroll’s.
The contrast wasn’t lost on people around the league.
On the field, the Raiders left the draft with 10 selections and addressed real needs — most notably the secondary, which had been a liability. The wide receiver room still isn’t where anyone wants it to be, but that’s a known gap that free agency didn’t fully close and the draft couldn’t fix in one weekend.
The Mendoza pick at No. 1 was the easiest call in the entire draft. Nobody questioned the selection — because there was nothing to question. Heisman winner. Clean prospect. The need was obvious. The fit was obvious. The only drama was waiting for the card to be turned in.
But what turned heads was the stuff happening around the edges.
On Jermod McCoy: After Day 2 of the draft, Fowler checked with eight teams about the Tennessee cornerback with a simple question — “Is he off your board?” Medical concerns with his surgically repaired knee had sent a top-10-to-12 talent sliding. Five of those eight teams said yes, he was off their board entirely.
The Raiders did extensive medical homework. And as of now, the team is optimistic McCoy can play in 2026 without an immediate procedure — with the caveat that they need to get him in the building and see how he’s progressing.
That’s not a guarantee. But it’s a calculated risk taken by a front office that did its work before the board fell.
On the trade-down logic: The Raiders picked up a fourth-round selection from Houston just to move down a few spots — and still landed the same player they wanted. One GM, per Fowler’s reporting: “They got great value in that trade to get the same player.”
That’s the kind of move that makes rival execs nod quietly rather than roll their eyes.
Walk the Plank
Here’s the thing about no criticism: it either means you’re perfect, or it means nobody wants to be the idiot who predicted failure for a team that just did everything right.
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle — and that’s still a win for Spytek.
This front office entered the offseason with a plethora of needs. They attacked free agency hard. They went into the draft with 10 picks and a clear plan. They took the no-brainer at No. 1. They traded down and still got their guy. They bet on medical homework rather than shying away from a talented player with a damaged knee.
You can argue about the receiver room. You can wonder if McCoy’s knee holds up. You can question whether Mendoza’s success or failure will validate or sink the whole thing.
But the process? The process looks like an adult ran it.
Spytek is delivering on what he said he’d do — build the board objectively, don’t inflate guys’ values because you need a position. The results are showing up in how other GMs talk about the Raiders.
For the first time in years, the draft isn’t something to survive. It’s something to feel good about.
