John Spytek walked into his first NFL Draft as a general manager with a 3-week-old job title and a head coach who’d spent decades building rosters exactly the way he wanted them built. That’s not an ideal setup for any GM trying to put his stamp on a franchise, and apparently, it showed. Now, with the Raiders holding the No. 1 overall pick and Pete Carroll long gone after a disastrous 3-14 season, reports are surfacing that Spytek’s first draft room was anything but a smooth operation. There are rumors that Spytek did what he felt was right. And the point of contention was Ashton Jeanty.

According to league insider Tony Pauline, Spytek didn’t even have much say in Carroll being hired in the first place, which tells you everything about the power dynamic heading into that draft room. When it came to the sixth pick, Carroll wanted Jeanty, and Jeanty is who they took. But it wasn’t without pushback. Multiple people inside the organization reportedly preferred a lineman, specifically defensive tackle Mason Graham, who was viewed as a direct replacement for Christian Wilkins. The Browns took Graham one pick earlier at No. 5, so that door closed fast. Still, the fact that there was real internal debate over the headlining pick raises a bigger question: if Carroll was driving the marquee selection, what was Spytek actually controlling?

That’s where it gets interesting. Spytek has publicly stood behind the Jeanty pick. He famously told reporters before the draft that his son would be “walking out of the family” if they didn’t take him. But sources suggest that once Carroll’s influence was accounted for, Spytek may have pulled away from everyone else on his other picks. The 2025 draft class was never going to look great on a 3-14 team, but the dysfunction behind the scenes has followed it ever since.

“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.

Nguyen’s co-host, Marshall Newhouse, also picked up on this and pointed out how much Carroll is known to influence roster decisions.

“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.”

So, Pete Carroll apparently stayed somewhat informed about Las Vegas events. For example, take third-round pick Darien Porter; he matches the type of cornerback Carroll has relied on for a long time. And he was the Raiders’ third choice in that draft. But this year might unfold quite differently.

“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,” Nguyen added.

“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.”

Now, with Allegiant Stadium watching closely, the Raiders approach a defining moment.

The team still has holes to fill, even after some improvements in free agency, and past mistakes are still evident. If Spytek really did his own thing before, this draft will show if teamwork takes over that style.

The Las Vegas Raiders can repeat the same mistake in 2026

The Las Vegas Raiders have some important tasks ahead, and this year’s draft could really influence their future. They have 10 picks to improve the team, with Fernando Mendoza likely being the standout choice. After that, the front office needs to bring in the right players, and assistant GM Brian Stark has shared how they plan to do that.

“I think it’s an incredible opportunity that I have here with the relationship I have with Spy [John Spytek], with the interaction we’ve been able to have with the ownership group. It’s an organization that is very forward-thinking and is highly motivated to be a championship organization,” Stark said.

“I think that we’re fortunate here that the people in charge understand that you need to hear your people, you need to take input, you need to take different perspectives. Plenty of my suggestions are like, ‘No, I’m not going to do that,’ but that’s fine.”

At the same time, this way of thinking has helped the front office stay on the same page all offseason, something Raider Nation has been eager to witness. The draft now offers them another opportunity to prove that working together leads to success. Even more crucial, they need players who can jump in right away and make an impact.

However, here is the part they cannot get wrong. The silver and black cannot leave this draft without at least one or two players, outside of Mendoza, who can contribute early. Since the plan is to let Mendoza develop behind Kirk Cousins, that top pick will not solve immediate issues on the field.

Because of that, the pressure builds even more at Allegiant Stadium. After a quiet return from the 2025 class, Las Vegas cannot repeat the same mistake.