Getty Las Vegas Raiders GM Dave Ziegler.
It’s looking more and more like the Las Vegas Raiders will need to trade up in the draft if they’d like to land a quarterback. Waiting until they pick at No. 7 is a risky plan as there are only four quarterbacks worth using a top-10 draft pick on. There’s a scenario where all four of them are selected before the Raiders pick.
Las Vegas can avoid that by trading up. The Arizona Cardinals with the No. 3 pick are going to be a very popular team in the coming weeks. The Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans at the top of the draft are going to take quarterbacks but the Cardinals already have one. They are in a prime position to trade down. If not, the Raiders could also look at the Seattle Seahawks at No. 5. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler says that there are teams around the league that believe Las Vegas is looking to trade up and potentially draft Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson.
“Anthony Richardson, the most interesting man in the draft. You look at Seattle at No. 5, they’re considered a pivot point,” Fowler said on an April 2 episode of SportsCenter. “There’s a little bit of buzz about Seattle and Richardson. Now, the scouts I talked to, they sort of believe it, but they also wonder if Seattle’s trying to trade back out of that spot. Drum up some interest for Richardson to have a quarterback-needy team step up and try to get him. You look at the Raiders at No. 7. I’ve talked to a few teams that are watching the Raiders there. They believe that with Jimmy Garoppolo as sort of a bridge quarterback for at least a year, they’re in the perfect spot to get their future passer for a guy like Richardson, who is probably the most talented quarterback in this draft.”
Raiders Visiting With Richardson Soon
The Raiders have been keeping a close eye on Richardson for months going back to when general manager Dave Zeigler went to a Florida game to scout the quarterback back in September of 2022. The team also met with him at the NFL Scouting Combine and his Pro Day. They aren’t done looking at him quite yet.
According to Fowler, the Raiders are bringing in Richardson for a visit to Las Vegas.
Anthony Richardson will begin his pre-draft visits with the #Raiders on Friday, per source. Richardson will visit six teams, including Carolina, which hosts multiple top QBs as part of its Top 30 visits.
The team is taking far too many looks at the quarterback to not have a genuine interest.
Will Raiders Add Richardson?
The Raiders are clearly intrigued by Richardson. He might be the only quarterback in the draft that has as high of a ceiling as Patrick Mahomes. If the Raiders hope to compete in the AFC West, they’ll need an elite quarterback. Richardson needs a lot of work before he’s ready to start NFL games but he has all of the tools to be a special player.
If he’s still available when the Raiders pick at No. 7, there’s a good chance they’ll select him. The team has a ton of needs on defense but quarterback is the most important position. Jimmy Garoppolo will be a serviceable starter for a year or two but the Raiders need a long-term plan. Richardson makes the most sense to sit behind Garoppolo and learn. If the Raiders develop him correctly, they won’t have to worry about adding a quarterback for a very long time.
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NFL Teams Bracing for Blockbuster Trade From Raiders: Insider