Why Raiders' Carroll Must Pull Off Recruitment of DC Graham, Leonard

The Las Vegas Raiders introduced head coach Pete Carroll on Monday. Now, it's time to get to work.

The first order of business for Carroll will be assembling a staff; it should be from within, to start. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is one of the best in the league and he has been receiving interest from around the NFL for head coaching jobs -- and lateral moves.

Perhaps no one knows Graham's value better than Raiders middle linebacker Robert Spillane. As the quarterback of the defense, Spillane acts as Graham's eyes and ears on the field. He does it well, too.

Spillane, set to be a free agent in March and the Raiders' top priority for re-signing, registered 140+ tackles in each of his two seasons in the desert and is arguably the league's most underrated linebacker. He is also a vocal presence in the locker room, the Maxx Crosby of the second level.

The second-year Raiders linebacker recently voiced how valuable Graham is as the team's defensive genius to our Hondo Carpenter in an exclusive interview.

"He is not a faker," Spillane said. "When he puts in the work, he is a Yale-educated, very bright, smart young man who works 18 hours a day. I know that's not even physically possible, but when he says he's putting in the work, he puts in the work. Which obviously garners respect from me and every teammate we have."

Graham's protege, defensive line coach Rob Leonard, is also a defensive mastermind. Leonard has gained respect throughout the league as a hot prospect for a defensive coordinator job, and the Raiders have turned down interview slips targeting one of their prized assets.

Raiders On SI can confirm at least one team and likely more have turned in an interview request for Leonard.

Both Graham and Leonard are detail-oriented competitors that are expert communicators and football intellects.

In his introductory press conference, Carroll referred to fostering a new competitive environment with the Silver and Black. A huge first step in putting those words to practice would be retaining the two coaches. Keeping both also ensures the retention of continuity, another crucial aspect of his hiring.

An expert recruiter at USC, Carroll needs to turn in a good effort. Lucky for him, he is no stranger to sales pitches and his track record speaks for itself.

Crosby's stay in Las Vegas does not depend on Graham and Leonard, but he will all but certainly remain in Silver and Black if one or both stay put. Same goes for Spillane -- he has a deep connection with both men.

Keeping both coaches would be as big as any neon-name hiring.

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