Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek on radio row during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Spytek's First Draft Class Laid the Raiders' Foundation

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated May 3, 2025 12:30 PM ET

There is reason to be excited in Las Vegas. After struggling for most of the past few seasons to field a consistently competitive team, the Las Vegas Raiders appear to be on the right track after general manager John Spytek's first draft with the organization.

In his first offseason as the Raiders' general manager, Spytek followed up the Raiders' productive draft haul from last season with a solid draft class of his own. Running back Ashton Jeanty may be a bigger addition than many realize, as he could stabilize the offense for years to come.

Last offseason, the Raiders walked away with one of the most talented players in the draft when they selected Brock Bowers with the No. 13 pick. Bowers went on to have a historical rookie season, establishing himself as arguably the best tight end in the league in only his rookie season.

The Raiders followed Bowers' draft class with a draft class that includes Jeanty and potentially enough other offensive additions to turn a weakness into a strength. With Jeanty and Bowers on the roster, Las Vegas has two solid pieces to continue to build around over the next few years.

Essentially, by selecting Jeanty, Spytek did more than just help the Raiders' ground game. Spytek gave Las Vegas another intriguing offensive piece that could help set the Silver and Black up for success for the next decade.

Bowers had a historical season while playing with three different starting quarterbacks, and statistically, the worst ground game in the National Football League. Now that the Raiders have a competent rushing attack, the sky is the limit for Bowers.

Opposing defensive coordinators must now game-plan for Bowers and Jeanty, a challenging task, especially with no film on either in Chip Kelly's system. Jeanty could have an extremely productive rookie season.

Las Vegas is playing the long game by revamping its offensive line, adding Jeanty, Geno Smith, and multiple talented receivers in the draft. Spytek's first draft with the team appears to be a success. While the Raiders still have room to improve their roster, the foundation has been laid.

That is all that can reasonably be asked of a general manager who took over a flawed roster in his first offseason with the team.

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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