Getty Josh McDaniels hugging Davante Adams.
Early indications have suggested the Las Vegas Raiders plan to bring in a veteran quarterback this offseason to replace Derek Carr. The original plan was likely to add Tom Brady but he’s no longer an option. The team could look to the trade market to add Aaron Rodgers but there’s no guarantee that he even plays next season.
By the time free agency actually starts on March 15, the Raiders could realize that their best option is to draft a quarterback. Star wide receiver Davante Adams has said that he’d like a say in who the next quarterback and based on recent comments, it’s clear he wants Rodgers. However, it might not be cut and dry. According to former NFL quarterback turned ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, Adams has expressed interest in bringing in a younger player and specifically believes the Raiders need to go after Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud.
“We sat with Davante Adams in Week 18, and he said [he] wants a young guy [he] can grow with,” Orlovsky said on NFL Live on February 5. “Davante has goals of being the greatest ever, and he wants a young guy … that doesn’t necessarily fit the Rodgers mold.”
“The name that continues to come to mind for me with the Las Vegas Raiders is CJ Stroud. If you had to ask me about Josh McDaniels’ offense, what does it look like, it’s asking the quarterback to make a bunch of decisions in a short period of time, every play. CJ Stroud lives that, and growing in that system, having control, having to understand fronts and coverages and manipulation and different progressions.”
Raiders Would Likely Need to Trade up to Get Stroud
There are some good quarterback prospects in the upcoming draft but Stroud makes the most sense under head coach Josh McDaniels. The coach values a quarterback who does his best work inside the pocket. That’s exactly what the two-time Griese–Brees Quarterback of the Year does. The problem facing the Raiders is that there is a good chance they’ll have to trade up to get Stroud. That’s what Orlovsky believes.
“CJ Stroud is the guy you’re gonna have to go up from the seventh pick and likely to go get,” Orlovsky said.
The Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 are a team to watch. They don’t need a quarterback and should be a team that would want to trade down. Stroud should be available at No. 3 so if the Raiders know he’s the guy they want, then they need to pounce and trade up.
Could Stroud Fall to No. 7?
Alabama’s Bryce Young is the consensus top quarterback in the draft and Stroud is considered the second-best option. However, he doesn’t have the upside of Florida’s Anthony Richardson or Kentucky’s Will Levis. That could lead to him falling down the draft board. In recent mock drafts from ESPN and CBS Sports, Stroud would be available at pick No. 7.
That would be good news for the Raiders if they don’t add a quarterback and decide to stay put when the draft comes around. It would be a risk to wait but if the team could add Stroud without giving up additional draft assets, that would be a huge win for the franchise.