Andrew Brinkley asks:
“If the Vikings offer J.J. McCarthy, T.J. Hockenson, Christian Darrisaw and the 18th pick for the 1st, would you?”
This seems to be an unrealistic haul, with all of these players tapped in for the Minnesota Vikings’ future. While they missed the playoffs, the Vikings still finished with a 9-8 record within an NFC North division that didn’t have a single losing team.
But that opens Pandora’s box on what a No. 1 pick trade could be.
While most people are sold on the Raiders taking a quarterback, it’s still a roster that has a lot of needs. It could be wise for the Raiders to explore their options at the bare minimum. Considering the depth of this 2026 draft class lies in the offensive and defensive lines, there’s a possibility the team could look to gain more picks in the first round in an effort to quicken their upcoming rebuild.
And it’s clear that Spytek is a fan of acquiring draft assets, as he traded back multiple times in his first draft as GM last April. In total, the Raiders drafted 11 players in 2025.
“I think we have a great opportunity to build this franchise the right way now,” Spytek said. “We never want to be in the spot again. I never thought I would be in the spot, but we got to be real with where we’re at. We have to understand the opportunity that we have in front of us, and our focus and our vision is on everything going forward now.”