It’s draft day and that means we’re just a matter of hours from getting the truth on many of the rumors that have been swirling around the Raiders for the last four months.
Until the first round is in the books, let’s take a look at a few of the last-minute stories around the Raiders as of Thursday morning.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Raiders are still trying to make a trade to the top of the draft, but teams at the top want to see how the first few two picks play out before agreeing to a deal…
“The Raiders would love to be able to get up high enough to take Daniels and reunite him with coach Antonio Pierce, who was on the Arizona State coaching staff back when Daniels began his college career there. But they know they might not be able to do that, especially if Washington has decided on him at No. 2. The Raiders have talked with the Cardinals about what it would take to get to No. 4, but Arizona has said it wants to wait until it is on the clock (i.e., see which quarterbacks went in the first three picks) before considering trade offers. The Raiders’ interest in the No. 4 pick would, I believe, cool off significantly if Daniels is among the top three picks, as expected.
The Raiders are also thought to be high on Penix, and if the quarterback market starts drying up quickly and they feel they need to trade up in order to avoid being shut out, the Chargers at No. 5 and the Titans at No. 7 are two teams that people believe are willing to trade down.“
But what happens if the Raiders can’t strike a deal for Jayden Daniels or one of the other high-profile quarterbacks in the draft?
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler thinks that the Raiders might have to settle for a quarterback outside of the consensus top four quarterbacks, and named Penix, Bo Nix and Spencer Rattler as players to watch…
“I’ve also heard Daniels has interest in playing for Pierce and the Raiders. That interest is mutual, though as Dan said, Las Vegas moving up from No. 13 to No. 2 just isn’t very plausible right now. Penix, Nix and even South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler could very much be in play for the Raiders down the board.”
Is there a scenario where J.J. McCarthy could fall out of the top 10?
ESPN insider Field Yates dropped McCarthy to the 8th-overall pick, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport hinted on Wednesday that McCarthy could drop a little farther than many of the mock drafts have been anticipating.
Would the Raiders be willing trade up a few positions to take McCarthy if he slides to pick 8 or below?
There have been rumors that Raiders’ GM Tom Telesco and HC Antonio Pierce have different ideas on how to approach the quarterback position in the draft, but there’s a good chance that story is a little exaggerated.
It only benefits the Raiders to have teams believe their building is divided on which way to go in the draft.
As for all the hype around Penix, it would be interesting to know where the Raiders have him on their draft board. A lot of recent mock drafts have Penix going to the Raiders, and everyone knows Mark Davis covets a strong-armed quarterback.
The reality of the Raiders situation tonight is that they are not in a sweet spot to take a quarterback at pick 13. They are, however, in a great position to take one of the top cornerbacks or offensive tackles.
One scenario that could play out for the Raiders is a trade down for an additional second-round pick.
They could still manage to get a top offensive tackle or cornerback in round one and use the additional second-round pick to trade back into the first round for Penix or anyone else they believed could make an immediate impact at a position of need.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Tight end in the first round? Here’s to looking forward to another MMS (Mediocre Mark Season). We haven’t won a playoff game since 2001-2000 season. Now you know why. Mark Davis was asleep at the switch when daddy was teaching him how to build a winning football team. Going 49ers….. after over 50 years of following the Raiders. Good luck losers.