The Raiders have only a matter of weeks to figure out their quarterback situation, and the most likely scenario to play out in Las Vegas will involve a quarterback drafted in the first or second round of the draft.
Aidan O’Connell is under contract for another three years, but it’s not likely that he will be the presumed starter when the Raiders enter training camp.
There are veteran quarterback options the Raiders can pursue in free agency, but the expectation is that they will use a premium pick on one of the top quarterbacks in the draft.
The quarterback class in this year’s draft looks to be better than most, but Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said he doesn’t expect the Raiders to go after one of the top three quarterbacks (based on where most analysts seem to rank them) in the draft.
“I will be stunned… I don’t think the Raiders are going to get Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels,” Hondo said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. “I just don’t think that’s going to happen. I don’t think [any] one of those [quarterbacks] are on the table.”
Reading between the lines a little, the real prediction here seems to be that the Raiders won’t make a blockbuster trade to move to the top of the draft. If any of the aforementioned quarterbacks drop into the latter half of the top 10 picks, maybe the cost would be something the Raiders would be more willing to consider.
The draft is still 10 weeks away and it’s probably a safe assumption that the Raiders still don’t how aggressive they plan to be in the draft. Tom Telesco is barely into his third week as general manager of the team and said this week that he still doesn’t know what he wants to do in the draft.
One way or another, answers will be coming soon.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Am I the only one that noticed that O’connell was the best rookie quarterback in the NFL besides CJ stroud?
Draft capital should be used on an offensive lineman the only way we dominate is if the offensive line dominates.
This response puts you in the minority of Raider Nation, as this shows intelligence and a deep understanding of how football is won and lost.it is not by chasing over hyped college QBs and expecting them to be saviors.
We can only hope that the Raiders decision makers share this level knowledge — aka Mark Davis stays out of any key decisions.