There is no doubt the Las Vegas Raiders have improved their roster over the last four days.
General manager John Spytek and his staff made 10 selections during the NFL draft and have been adding to their rookie class with a slew of undrafted free agents since the event concluded on Saturday.
While it’s probably not a championship-caliber roster yet, the Raiders are moving in the right direction.
Here are five things that were learned about the organization over the past few days:
1. There’s a new face of the franchise
Fans have been operating under the assumption Fernando Mendoza would be the quarterback of the future since watching him win the national championship in Miami back in January.
The fact that it’s now official hasn’t seemed to dampen the enthusiasm.
There was an electric atmosphere around the team facility when he was introduced Friday, starting with a pep rally-like entrance for him and his family as they pulled up and walked through the front door.
Mendoza was the star of the show at the draft party for select fans out on the indoor practice field Friday night and his No. 15 jersey quickly became the hottest seller in all of sports.
The anticipation of what he can be should last however long it takes to make his first start. Then, he will have to back it up on the field.
It’s a whole new world to have excitement and enthusiasm around the franchise, but the reality of taking a quarterback with the top pick is that his performance will essentially determine the franchise’s fate for the next five to 10 years.
There is a lot resting on his right arm.
2. Spytek not afraid to take a swing
There have been fans and online commenters who have accused Spytek of being a cautious bargain hunter since the time he took over as general manager last year.
That was never really based on reality and now there is evidence to disprove it.
After shelling out a record deal for a big fish like Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, Spytek got aggressive in trading up a spot to take a huge risk by selecting Jermod McCoy.
If healthy, it will prove to be the pick of the draft.
Spytek also cut bait on former first-round pick Tyree Wilson with a draft-day trade that enabled him to target a player he wanted.
Wilson wasn’t his pick so it wasn’t a matter of conceding defeat for him personally, but he still didn’t hesitate to move on from what was starting to feel like a lost cause.
3. They felt the need for speed
Outside of Mendoza, the Raiders invested heavily on defense in the draft.
They did grab two skill position players, however, and there was certainly a common theme.
Both wide receiver Malik Benson and running back Mike Washington Jr. are fast.
Really fast.
Each turned in sub-4.4-second times in the 40-yard dash and can threaten the defense with their speed.
While the picks were made by Spytek, it’s almost certain this was a need identified by new head coach Klint Kubiak as he tries to install his offense.
The Raiders already had some fast players on offense, but this was a clear commitment to improving in that area.
4. They identified a clear need on defense
If their offensive selections showed they had a need for speed, the picks on defense were an indication the new staff believed the defensive backfield needed reinforcements.
The Raiders drafted four defensive backs, including versatile Arizona teammates Treydan Stukes and Dalton Jonnson.
They will probably be chess pieces to help bolster the ranks in the back end of the defense.
Hezekiah Masses is a cornerback with speed and obvious ball skills after leading the nation in passes defensed last year.
Obviously, McCoy is the game changer if he’s healthy. But even if he’s not, the Raiders now have reinforcements in the secondary.
5. There will be a kicker competition
It has been awhile since either of the kicking jobs have truly been up for grabs in the offseason.
Punter AJ Cole and kicker Daniel Carlson have perennially been at the top of the league since Cole beat out Johnny Townsend to be the starting punter in 2019.
But the Raiders allowed Carlson’s contract to expire and signed inconsistent veteran Matt Gay in free agency. Then they opted to sign popular undrafted rookie Kansei Matsuzawa from Hawaii on Saturday.
“The Tokyo Toe” will likely battle it out with Gay. That could be fun to watch, especially if it runs through training camp.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
