Spytek controls a loaded deck, including three fourth-round picks. That is pure trade ammunition. During free agency, the front office operated under the mantra of being “intelligently aggressive.” Expect that exact same energy when the clock starts ticking. Sitting back and picking 10 times simply does not fit the aggressive championship window this front office wants to blast open. A mid-round trade—either packaging picks to jump back into the second round or sliding back to accumulate targeted assets—feels inevitable.
Fans constantly flood the mailbag asking about the safety board. If guys like Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, A.J. Haulcy, Kayden McDonald, Denzel Boston, and Max Iheanachor are staring Spytek in the face at No. 36, who gets the call?
Throw Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman into that mix, and the choice is obvious. Thieneman tore up the scouting combine in Indianapolis. You could practically feel the electricity in Lucas Oil Stadium when he clocked a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash and hit a 41-inch vertical. The reality? That performance locked him into the first round. He isn’t falling to 36. If Spytek wants the Oregon star, he has to package those mid-round picks and move up.
If Las Vegas stays at 36, the safety debate gets complicated. Toledo’s McNeil-Warren brings excellent size and a reputation as a heavy hitter, but he projects as a strong safety who covers the deep half in two-high looks. LSU’s Haulcy carries great value, but grabbing him at pick 67 makes far more sense than reaching at 36. The Raiders need a true, rangy free safety who can lock down the deep third behind the defensive line.
“I’ve learned to be patient, but when you need to be aggressive, you have to go for it. I think the saying upstairs this free agency class was ‘intelligently aggressive.'”
— John Spytek, General Manager
The collapsed Maxx Crosby trade to Baltimore proved one thing: the Raiders are building to win right now. Crosby stayed. Linderbaum arrived. Now, the defense needs a deep-field eraser. Finding a starting-caliber free safety in the early rounds directly impacts how the defensive coaching staff can deploy blitz packages. If the Raiders secure a reliable centerfielder, it frees up the box defenders to smother the run and hunt quarterbacks. That is exactly how you survive the brutal AFC West.
Fact-Check Indicator: This article has been fully fact-checked against real-time 2026 NFL Combine data, official Las Vegas Raiders free agency signings, and verified quotes from General Manager John Spytek. Zero errors detected.
