The Las Vegas Raiders drew plenty of praise when they announced last week that John Spytek would serve as the team's next general manager.
Although he has never held the title before, he was a trusted member of both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos' front offices. Spytek was poised to take a step up as an executive, and his well-documented relationship with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady was the nail in the coffin.
Spytek was not calling the shots in either Tampa Bay or Denver, but he was the national scout for the Broncos and a high-level executive for the Buccaneers when they won Super Bowl 50 and LV, respectively.
As he said in his introductory press conference, he has lived it, and he knows what it looks like. So, based on what it looked like at his previous stops, who could the Raiders draft this year?
John Spytek's draft history
At the forefront of Raider Nation's collective mind is how the new regime will address the quarterback situation. After all, it's the only reason that Spytek or Pete Carroll have their jobs.
In Spytek's time with the Buccaneers, the team only drafted a single quarterback. This was largely due to the fact that Jameis Winston was selected with the first overall pick a year prior to his arrival.
As a result, Kyle Trask was the only quarterback selected, and he was chosen in Round 2. But, instead of building the team around him, the front office elected to bring in veteran quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Baker Mayfield instead of handing Trask the keys.
For this reason, I do not think that Spytek will panic if neither Cam Ward nor Shedeur Sanders is available at No. 6. It would not be wise for a first-time general manager to wager his future in the first year of a five-year contract, essentially attaching himself at the hip of an unproven signal caller.
If either is available at No. 6, it would be surprising to see the team jump at the opportunity, but Spytek's background would indicate that he will try to build this team through the trenches.
Of the 10 first-round draft picks that he has had a hand in selecting, six of them have been linemen (an offensive tackle, a center, two defensive tackles and two edge rushers). The other four picks were two cornerbacks, a linebacker, and a tight end.
Assuming that both quarterbacks and Travis Hunter will be off the board by the time the Raiders are on the clock, Spytek and Co. may narrow their focus to a slew of blue-chip defenders like Penn State's Abdul Carter, or Michigan's Mason Graham and Will Johnson.
Such a selection would open up the opportunity for Spytek to select a quarterback in the second round, where Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart, Alabama's Jalen Milroe, and Texas' Quinn Ewers could be available.
Spytek has seen this route before, and he is no stranger to adding a veteran quarterback like he did with Brady or Baker Mayfield. Spending a year behind a player like Russell Wilson or Sam Darnold could be a huge benefit for a young quarterback and position them to do some serious damage down the road.
In rounds three and four, the Buccaneers typically targeted positions like wide receiver, running back, and defensive back, all of which are positions of need for the Raiders.
By the time the fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds rolled around, Spytek's operation typically selected linebackers, tight ends, and depth pieces on the offensive and defensive lines.
If the Raiders end up with a high-caliber defender, a potential quarterback of the future, several mid-round skill players, and more depth at positions of need in the later rounds, it is hard to imagine that anyone could find fault in that.