Things are looking up for the Raiders as new regime delivers a solid NFL Draft

Sports

add

The Las Vegas Raiders just drafted 11 players, their biggest haul since 2007. Raiders fans may not remember that one, thanks to many hours of counseling and bar-sitting spent forgetting about JaMarcus Russell.

They got one star player in running back Ashton Jeanty, and another starter in receiver Jack Bech. Bech catches everything and breaks tackles, and while he can’t stretch the field, he has to be in the lineup at this point because the Raiders don’t have much else besides Jakobi Meyers.

Two starters is not normally considered a very good draft haul, but general manager John Spytek and Pete Carroll are banking on the later draft picks’ traits and upside. After a relatively cautious approach to free agency, this is another sign that Spytek and Carroll just want to be more competitive this season before making a big push in 2026.

The bar is not that high after Raiders owner Mark Davis fired coach Antonio Pierce and then general manager Tom Telesco after they went 4-13 last season. It was the fourth regime change in four years — which is just absurd. Though … as Davis will tell you often, he got it right with Jon Gruden before he resigned after all the hateful e-mails were leaked.

Unlike Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler two years ago, Pierce and Telesco didn’t set the franchise back by trading top picks for a look-at-me receiver, didn’t cut the franchise passing leader instead of trading him earlier and didn’t give a big contract to an aging pass rusher whose off-field issues eventually led to his release.

Pierce’s inexperience showed at times, but he had the team playing with an edge and almost saved his job by winning two of the last three games. Telesco left the cupboard pretty stocked with picks and salary-cap room for Spytek, and when the quarterbacks flew off the board in the draft last year, Telesco calmly took the best rookie tight end in the history of the NFL.

Carroll is the new face of the franchise and is always in a good mood. This beats the hell out of forced retirement, and he clearly loves the players and the challenge. He talks to minority owner Tom Brady daily, and Davis has taken a back seat more than he ever has. Actually, back seat is not an accurate analogy — it’s more like Davis is in the car behind Carroll, Brady and Spytek.

But he is enjoying the view so far.

Davis and other observers in the draft room noticed several encouraging differences from previous regimes.

There was a strong collaboration between Carroll and Spytek, with both not only wanting the other’s opinion, but valuing it. Neither seems to be concerned with who gets credit for what, or who has final say, and Spytek did a good job of learning exactly the kinds of players Carroll and coordinators Chip Kelly and Patrick Graham want.

Scouts and team analysts also felt that they were involved in the draft-day process more than in the past, so there is collective ownership of draft picks. It probably doesn’t surprise you that in years past, position coaches were sometimes surprised when they heard the Raiders draft a player at their position.

It goes to show that arranged marriages can work. Spytek and Carroll didn’t know each other before Las Vegas, but everything ran smoothly during the three days of the draft. As compared to the Gruden-Mike Mayock days or the frantic draft room of best buddies McDaniels and Ziegler.

Spytek knew his roster had a lot of holes after they lost five defensive starters in free agency, so he wanted more picks. He calmly waited for his phone to ring, and then quickly moved down 11 spots, from 37 to 48. And then again, down 10 more spots. He picked up two third-round picks in the process, and drafted offensive linemen Caleb Rogers and Charles Grant at Nos. 98 and 99. (It just so happened the San Francisco 49ers picked at 100 and were reportedly high on both, and they had Rogers in for a visit.)

Rogers will have a chance to compete at guard (and who knows, maybe even right tackle) while Grant is more of a project and may be Kolton Miller’s eventual replacement on the left side.

The Raiders had already added cornerback Darien Porter in the third round, and while Carroll said he wouldn’t compare Jeanty to anyone on Thursday night, he went ahead Friday and said Porter reminds him of Richard Sherman. Sherman was a fifth-round pick who started 10 games his rookie year, and Carroll’s resume developing defensive backs is so good that Raiders fans can get a little excited about that pick.

In the fourth round, the new Raiders brass tipped their caps to the tradition of the franchise (no, not the last two decades) and addressed the late former owner’s need for speed. Spytek and Davis joked that receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. was “the Al Davis pick.” He is 6-foot-5 and runs. 4.3 40-yard dash. He only had 39 catches the last two seasons at Tennessee? Who cares.

The Raiders didn’t add a quarterback of the future in the draft, bypassing Shedeur Sanders nine times despite his ties to Brady. We had dual-threat Cam Miller mocked to the Raiders (as well as Jeanty, Bech and Grant … applause, damnit), but I couldn’t even remember which school in Dakota he went to. So I can’t say he will be starting in three years.

This is Geno Smith’s show, and he is only 35 years old in October. Brady played until he was 45.

Smith is a huge upgrade over Gardner Minshew and Jimmy Garoppolo, who were terrible for the Raiders the last two years. When Smith was with Carroll in Seattle from 2022 to 2023, he threw 40 touchdown passes traveling over 10 air yards — second-most in the NFL. Last year, Raiders quarterbacks threw nine of those — second-fewest in the league.

The Raiders were historically bad at running the ball, as their 3.4 yards a pop was the worst average in the NFL since 1996. Jeanty had 12 touchdown runs of more than 20 yards last year, while the Raiders only had 11 20-yard runs total (not TDs) the last two seasons combined.

So, things are definitely looking up. Offensive playmakers, professional draft room, fast draft picks … it’s hard to know what the ceiling is for Smith and a Maxx Crosby-led defense that still needs a nickel corner and a linebacker, but the floor has certainly been notched up and Raiders fans will gladly take it slow and steady for once.

Not goodbye, but until next time: I will be watching what happens this season from a distance, as I am returning to the Bay Area and jumping on the 49ers beat alongside Matt Barrows. I have thoroughly enjoyed my 15 never-dull years covering the Raiders and interacting with their great fans, who travel the globe in face paint and deserve a lot more than two playoff appearances and no wins in 22 years. Even the ones who scream all the time.

You’re in great hands with Tashan Reed, and I am sure we will share some more unbelievable Raiders stories in the future. … Do people still read books?

(Photo of Pete Carroll, Ashton Jeanty and John Spytek: Candice Ward / Imagn Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

Women’s Championship title decider to be live on Sky for first time

News Story

Next

trending_flat

Deion Sanders called Buccaneers after they signed his son; here’s how Shilo Sanders can make the roster

Sports