Getty Josh McDaniels & Dave Ziegler of the Las Vegas Raiders.
As the draft closes in, the Las Vegas Raiders don’t seem overly motivated to trade up to draft a quarterback. That said, if one they like happens to slip to No. 7, then things could get interesting. C.J. Stroud appeared destined to be a Houston Texan when draft day rolled around but now nobody knows what they plan to do.
Stroud could start to slide a bit and the Raiders may be tempted to go after their quarterback of the future now instead of waiting until later. According to Raiders analyst, Your Boy Q, he spoke to Stroud who revealed that some of his family members would like to see him drafted by Las Vegas.
@AOD173 @Raiders_910 No Cap !!! He def said he had family members who want him to be a Raider, I just played our conversation we had earlier on the radio.
Stroud was born and raised in Southern California. His hometown of Rancho Cucamonga is just a three-hour drive away from Las Vegas. If he got selected by the Raiders, he’d be much closer to home than if he got drafted by the Texans or Indianapolis Colts. Obviously, Stroud has very little say on where he’ll get drafted and there’s a financial incentive to get selected higher. It sounds like his family wouldn’t be too upset if he slid a few picks down as long as he got taken by the Raiders.
S/o my guy @YourboyQ254 & the Locked On Raiders Podcast available on Apple Music & Spotify
Here’s his brief interview w CJ Stroud regarding certain Test results & thoughts on potentially playing for the #Raiders 👀🔮
Looking Like Raiders Won’t Take QB
Heading into the offseason, there was a lot of momentum building that the Raiders would draft a quarterback. As the draft process has gone on, it’s looking more likely that they will wait to address the need. Vic Tafur of The Athletic is reporting that many of the quarterback rumors involving Las Vegas may have been more smoke than fire.
“One of the reasons this draft is so hard to predict is opinions vary wildly on [Will] Levis and Richardson,” Tafur wrote. “They were inconsistent in college, and [Anthony] Richardson only played 13 games. There was a lot of buzz on the Raiders and Richardson before the NFL Scouting Combine — where he stole the show by leaping and throwing over tall buildings — but that appears to have been largely smoke.”
There has been a lot of talk about how nobody really knows what to expect from this draft. It’s possible the Raiders are making it look like they don’t want a quarterback so a team doesn’t trade ahead of them to get one. Nobody will know until the draft actually starts.
Buzz Raiders Could Take OL With First Pick
The Raiders need defensive players but recent rumors suggest the team is going to select an offensive lineman in the first round. Tafur reported that there’s a chance that the team knows who they want with the No. 7 pick.
“While we had Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski as a possible trade-down target, there is buzz that the Raiders may just take him with the seventh pick,” Tafur wrote.
Skoronski is the most exciting pick for the Raiders but they do have needs on the offensive line. However, the team did very little to improve the defense this offseason. Snagging one of the top cornerbacks or defensive linemen is certainly a possibility. With so many needs, the Raiders can’t really go wrong addressing any position that isn’t wide receiver or running back.