The Raiders 2025 draft didn’t necessarily meet expectations in year one, but there is still a lot to be determined from a group that includes Ashton Jeanty, Jack Bech, Darien Porter and a couple of mid-round offensive linemen.
As a rookie GM, John Spytek received mixed reviews on his first draft with the Raiders, and there has been some discussion on who was actually the driving force behind the Jeanty pick.
“According to sources, Spytek did not have much say in the hiring of [former head coach Pete] Carroll,” league insider Tony Pauline reported in December.
“Holding the sixth pick of the 2025 draft, the Raiders selected record-setting running back Ashton Jeanty of Boise State, a Carroll pick,” Pauline continued. “I’m told there was pushback on the selection, as many in and around the organization believed a lineman was the way to go. Defensive tackle Mason Graham was a name making the rounds, as he was seen as a replacement for Wilkins, who the team knew they would be without in 2025. The Raiders had no opportunity to draft Graham, as the Browns selected him with the fifth choice.”
Spytek has stood behind the Jeanty pick, but if Carroll was the driving force behind the pick, it sounds like Spytek may have pulled away from the input of others with his other picks.
“I’ve heard that last year he kind of shut people out, kind of went rogue and did his own thing,” The Athletic’s Nguyen said on the Just Win podcast of Spytek’s handling of the draft in 2025.
“I think this year, having a whole year to work on the draft with his people preparing and everything, whereas last year he was kind of hired and had to go into the draft right away, not knowing everybody around him. He hired Brian Stark, the assistant GM, who was part of the presser after the draft last year. So he knows who he’s working with. This is his coach that he hired. It’s going to be a bit different with how he works with everyone and how he collaborates with everyone.”
Nguyen’s co-host Marshall Newhouse added to the discussion, pointing to Carroll as a head coach who was very influential in building last year’s roster.
“Now what we know about Pete Carroll is there’s a head coach who was really flexing his muscle, trying to have influence over the roster,” Newhouse said.
“Not that that’s a bad thing but doing it in a way that feels to be counter to what you’re trying to do. And so it sounds like he feels comfortable now, having more people in alignment… it’s not about agreeing on everything, but it’s about buying into the same way that we do things.”
For what it’s worth, if Spytek went rogue in last year’s draft, it definitely seems from the outside that Carroll still had input.
Third round pick Darien Porter was a prototypical cornerback in Carroll’s defensive scheme, and Porter was the third player taken by the Raiders in the 2025 draft.
Going back to the beginning of November there were reports that Spytek and Carroll weren’t working great together, and their visions for the organization didn’t seem to be in alignment. Spytek pointed to that dynamic at a press conference after the season and that’s a big part of the reason why Carroll isn’t with the team anymore.
Carroll’s replacement, Klint Kubiak, doesn’t have a history with Spytek, but with the rookie head coach’s five-year contract (believed to be worth more than $75 million), there’s a good chance the organization is going to be a little more patient with its head coach this time around.
x: @raidersbeat
REVISED DRAFT BASED ON NEW PROJECTIONS….
1. FERNANDO MENDOZA
2. DANI DENNIS-SUTTON
3. MIKE WASHINGTON JR.
4. KEVIN COLEMAN JR.
5. JUDE BOWRY
6. JAEDEN ROBERTS
7. ZANE DURANT
8. VJ PAYNE
9. ANDRE FULLER
10. ERIC GENTRY
Spytek was completely wrong by selecting A. Jeanty last year at #6 overall. No value! Bech, Porter the same, No value!
This off-season the free agents that he overpaid to bring in are all the same, No value! Switching to a 3-4 doesn’t make any sense to the players he brought in. 4 LBs all making way more than they are worth. And that’s not to mention the other LB that Spy traded but didn’t insist on a physical B4 free agency started.
It’s been a big whiff so far with Tom’s former roommate. All the hope will rest on Mendoza and Kubiak. If he plays and does it well and Klint coaches well then nobody will care of the terrible other moves. But it’ll be another story if Mendoza doesn’t get on the field and Klint doesn’t coach well.
We in the Nation are hoping for an outstanding outcome but the warning signs are flashing.
I agree except Porter was worth the pick. It’s on Spytek to prove his worth. You’re only as good as your GM so Spytek just landed a triple without swinging the bat with Mendoza.
He needs to prove he can provide talent right now. If all these guys are looking like Johnathan Abraham, Tyree Wilson, etc. after 2027 then Kubiak should get his own guy @ GM
Jeanty was The pick. Anything else is b.s. I’m abit more optimistic than you sound, but I have to question why three listed areas of need are receivers, OL, and DT. We drafted two of each last year. Are the now just chopped liver or are they part of the foundation of a successful future?