The Las Vegas Raiders are ready to make a big move before the NFL Draft on April 25-27 to find an answer at the most important position.
The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed reported the Raiders — who have the 13th overall pick — aim to trade up in the draft to select a quarterback.
“It may be unrealistic to swing a trade to move into the top three picks considering the Bears (pick No. 1), Commanders (No. 2) and New England Patriots (No. 3) need quarterbacks,” wrote Tafur and Reed. “[Raiders general manager Tom] Telesco has also had conversations centered on potentially trading for picks in the 5 to 7 range, which are owned by the Los Angeles Chargers (pick No. 5), New York Giants (No. 6) and Tennessee Titans. (No. 7).”
If Las Vegas landed somewhere between No. 5 and No. 7, top prospects such as LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Southern Cal’s Caleb Williams, will probably be off the board. However, they could potentially take Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, the fourth-best QB in the 2024 class, per NFL.com.
McCarthy projects as a high-ceiling quarterback who has some development to undergo. His experience running and executing NFL/pro-style concepts will help his transition to the NFL,” wrote the Draft Network’s Damian Parson. “His combination of arm talent, ball placement, and athleticism will be too enticing for teams to pass up in round one.”
The Raiders are expected to cut Jimmy Garoppolo after the league year starts on March 13. Aidan O’Connell — who threw 12 TDs in 11 games last season — could serve as a bridge QB. Signing a free agent like Jacoby Brissett isn’t a bad idea, either.
Raiders fans should have confidence in Telesco’s ability to take the right QB. While he served as Los Angeles Chargers GM from 2013-23, he selected 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year and former Pro Bowler Justin Herbert.
