Five takeaways from Raiders GM John Spytek’s press conference today at the NFL combine
Raiders new GM John Spytek spoke today with the media at the NFL combine, which begins in Indianapolis in two days. He made a lot of great points and evaluations about the current and future roster for the Raiders. There was a lot of good things that were said that we need to go over in this article, so let’s take a look at the top five takeaways from today’s press conference.
5.) Spytek values drafting explosive players more than players of need
Spytek always wants to bring in the best of the best available, at all costs. Even if the Raiders have position of more need, if there’s a part in the roster that lacks depth, and there’s a great prospect available, he will always go that route instead of drafting specifically for need.
4.) Will use every avenue to find a quarterback
Spytek said when asked about how they will go about finding a quarterback, he says they will explore all avenues- Including giving those already in the building a thorough evaluation as well. He said they could look to trade for a vet, sign a vet in free agency, or draft a rookie, and said they might even do both. More importantly, they will do everything they can to bring in a bunch of guys to fill up the quarterback room with a bunch of solid, talented players and make for great competition when it comes time to training camp, preseason and so on so they can have a great all around group of quarterbacks always ready to go.
3.) Wants to resign all of the current young, productive players already on the roster before free agency begins
As he did yesterday with resigning talented young safety Isaiah Pola-Mao, Spytek will be looking to resign all of the current young talent on his team that needs to be resigned before free agency begins in about two and a half weeks. Safety Tre’Von Moehrig and cornerback Nate Hobbs are two names that quickly come to mind when it comes to that.
2.) In-Game experience and ability to navigate the transfer portal a “Strong suit” For this year’s QB draft class
Spytek mention names like Miami’s Cam Ward and Ohio State’s Will Howard when it comes to navigating the transfer portal in college and winning everywhere they go no matter what, which is huge. He said he looks forward to speaking with all of the quarterbacks for this years draft this week. He will definitely be looking to get to know them better, as quarterback is obviously the most important position in football.
1.) Sees superstar Maxx Crosby as a big part of the team for the foreseeable future
As he should, Spytek says he respects Maxx Crosby a tremendous amount and doesn’t want to speak on his contract at the moment, but he will do whatever it takes to have him on the Raiders for the long haul. When asked about Crosby’s guaranteed money on his current contract, he says he doesn’t want to talk much about that. He will leave those discussions between him and Crosby at another time, but he sees Crosby being a huge piece and anchor of this defense for a long time. He said Crosby wants that too, so they will make it happen at some point soon when the time is right.