Raiders GM Spytek receiving calls for No. 1 pick in NFL Draft

The Indiana quarterback won the Heisman Trophy and led the Hoosiers to a 16-0 record and a national championship in 2025, and the Raiders are desperate for a young quarterback to ignite their rebuild.

While the marriage between the two sides seems a foregone conclusion, it hasn't stopped other teams from making enquiries for Las Vegas' pick.

Here's what Raiders general manager John Spytek had to say on this during his pre-draft press conference.

Stream the 2026 NFL Draft live on DAZN

The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off in Pittsburgh on 23 April, and you can watch every round live on DAZN with a Game Pass subscription.

From just £9.99/€9.99, witness the moment Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love and Carnell Tate hear their names called and walk onto the draft stage as the next generation of NFL superstars.

Sign up for Game Pass now and get your front row seat to the 2026 NFL Draft.

Spytek: Raiders have received calls

"We've gotten a few calls," Spytek began, "and those teams know where they stand right now."

He said the Raiders' approach depends entirely on how they feel about a player, and whether any offer is worth entertaining.

"If there's a player that stands out that we feel it's not worth losing, it's not worth even picking up the phone, then we'll just make the pick.

"But if it's a player that we're not as excited about, or there's a group of players that we would love to pick from, and we can get value for that, we're certainly open to listening to that."

The message seems pretty clear: Mendoza is the player they don't want to lose.

Spytek also reflected on what it feels like to hold the top pick, and the luxury that comes with it.

"A lot less energy spent on hypotheticals," he said.

"There's only one team that can get the exact person that they want. And we have that option available to us this year, if we so choose."

Mendoza would compete with Cousins

Megan Briggs / Stringer

Assuming Mendoza is drafted by Las Vegas, he won't walk straight into the starting role. He'll compete with veteran Kirk Cousins, who signed a one-year deal in Las Vegas in April.

While most believe Cousins is the favourite to start early, Spytek left the door open.

"Ultimately, this is a meritocracy, and the best guy will play," he said.

"It's just really hard to play really well at a young age. But we've seen plenty of quarterbacks do it recently."

"Obviously, we've added Kirk," he continued. "We have Aidan [O'Connell] and we'll see how it goes. But the best man will play."

If you're a Game Pass subscriber, tune into DAZN on 23 April to watch - as we all know will happen - Mendoza go to the Raiders first overall.