New Raiders general manager John Spytek joined the Raiders Podcast Network and hosts Rhett Lewis and Bucky Brooks to provide some insight on how he and the franchise might handle the No. 6 overall pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL draft.
Asked how he and the Raiders will evaluate positional depth versus best available, Spytek pointed back to a specific debate he and the Browns’ front office personnel were having in the buildup to the 2010 NFL draft when he was in Cleveland.
“Yeah, it’s really a team-building exercise is what you’re looking for. It’s certainly based some on need, certainly it’s based on the caliber of player that you’re watching and the ideal scenario is those two things match up and then that’s the perfect draft pick. But, that very rarely happens.
“I think back to… to give a real-life example of this, I think back to our first draft in Cleveland when I was there in 2010. It was a draft where we had conversations back and forth on Eric Berry and Joe Haden and who the right pick was at that point if they both were available. It turned out at seven, there was only one available. It was Joe Haden as Eric went fifth that year, but we had a safety in the second round that we really liked that we really felt good about.
“So, I think ultimately, while it was really close between Eric and Joe, we felt like the drop-off from corner at Joe in one to what we would get in the second round was a lot greater than the drop-off from Eric to a player named T.J. Ward. And that’s ultimately probably what we would have ended up doing had we had to make the decision. We did not because Eric got drafted by the Chiefs that year and Joe was there waiting for us, but that’s kind of a real-life example of what’s the right order to do this in. It’s got a lot to do with your needs as an organization but also the players that you can kind of project might still be available at your later picks,” Spytek said.
Haden went on to become a three-time Pro Bowl cornerback and Ward was a three-time Pro Bowl safety as well.
That Eric Berry vs. Joe Haden and safety vs. cornerback debate is a good illustration of Spytek’s potential draft philosophy with the Raiders.
If Las Vegas feels the draft is particularly deep at a specific position group, then that could inform the Raiders’ selections. Las Vegas might opt for a player at No. 6 from a position group that it feels has the sharpest drop-off from rounds one to two and on down the line.