Kubiak's Impact Huge As Raiders Head Into Draft

Kubiak's Impact

Las Vegas got its guy in Klint Kubiak. The Raiders' front office wanted Kubiak from the start and were patient enough to get him after the season ended. Las Vegas added more talent in free agency than it has in some time, helping improve the roster Kubiak inherited.

The Raiders are now locked in on the NFL Draft. It is an important one for various reasons. Raiders General Manager John Spytek noted that Kubiak's impact has already been felt as they prepare to build out their roster largely in line with the vision Kubiak has for the team he will lead.

"A lot in a short amount of time, but a lot. And we had a great set of draft meetings with Klint [Kubiak] and his entire staff last week. I thought it was well laid-out by Starkey [Brian Stark], and the guys, and we got a lot of valuable information, not only on the way we're trying to run things and how guys fit into the systems that we're trying to put into place, but really quality evaluations of them as well,” Spytek said at the team's pre-draft press conference.

“And I think that's really important as we put a team together. It's not about what Starkey and I think, or the personnel department thinks, or what the coaching staff thinks. It's about, right now, the 10 best players for the Raiders, and last week was a productive week working towards that."

Kubiak's Supporting Cast

Kubiak's presence has been felt, but the Raiders' hopes of turning things around will require everyone from Spytek to the last man on the roster to be on the same page. The Raiders have been the league's poster child for coaching and roster instability. They have a chance to shed that reputation.

It will take more than one offseason to do that, but Kubiak, his coaching staff, and an improved roster are the first steps toward moving past their connection to bad coaching hires, bad draft picks, and bad free-agent signings. This could be the offseason the Raiders turn over a new leaf.

The Raiders must walk away from this draft with impact players aside from Fernando Mendoza. Along with Las Vegas' team of scouts, Kubiak's thoughts and feelings on who the Raiders draft will play a large role in their decisions about who to add.

They hired Kubiak to lead the way; the draft would be the time to do so. The Raiders are headed in a new direction. Spytek and Kubiak are the captains of the ship.

Kubiak recently credited the team of front office members who have helped him through his first offseason at the helm. As Las Vegas prepares for the draft, there will be many more people than Kubiak guiding the Raiders' ship. The Raiders will have all hands on deck for the draft.

“I think you're just so appreciative of John Spytek and his staff, Brian Stark, B [Brandon] Hunt, the whole pro personnel staff, how prepared they were going into free agency. They had a plan. Tom Delaney, signing the players. Mr. [Mark] Davis allowing us to do all this just gives me so much confidence in the people that we have in the building, and we all want to win, and they showed it, and they got it done,” Kubiak said.