Expectations are high – they should be for a No. 1 pick – but Spytek and Kubiak have put together an offseason that should protect their investment.
Signing center Tyler Linderbaum, receivers Jalen Nailor and Dareke Young, fullback Connor Heyward and guard Spencer Burford in free agency added volume to the offense.
Inking veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins as a mentor/insurance policy provided cushion.
So what, exactly, should Raider Nation expect from their newest, shiniest acquisition? After all, the last No. 1 pick QB to redshirt his rookie NFL season was Carson Palmer in 2003 with the Bengals.
“They should expect the same guy that we’ve seen along the way the whole time. He’s a hard-working, driven, extremely smart young man,” Spytek said. “He’s been a great teammate – I think we’ve all seen that – that embraces his teammates. He tries to highlight his teammates. He’s extremely tough, he’s highly competitive and he’s a guy that loves football. And he doesn’t just love bits and pieces of it; I think he loves the entirety of it. And he proved that to us over the course of the last three or four months.”
See, the Raiders have been keeping tabs, while staying true to their process throughout.
“He’s going to be willing to give his best to Raider Nation,” Spytek added. “He’s going to compete his tail off with Kirk and with Aidan [O’Connell]. And as we said, this is a meritocracy. This is the NFL. The best guy will play.
“How fast he gets up to speed and starts pushing those guys, we’ll see. That will be a lot up to Fernando, too. But we expect him to come in ready to roll. That’s the kind of person he is.”
You could say the same of Spytek. Because as rank-and-file Raiders employees congratulated him on Mendoza, Spytek, in turn, offered his own congratulations to said employees.
“This was not a coronation,” Spytek said. “But every step of the way, he kept checking boxes.”