Getty Antonio PIerce & Tom Telesco of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders could be a team to watch at the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. The team needs a quarterback but picking at No. 13 likely puts them out of range for the top prospects.
However, it’s still possible that they can trade up. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Raiders are trying to make that happen.
“The two that you hear the most strongly are the Minnesota Vikings and the Las Vegas Raiders,” Graziano said on the March 28 episode of ESPN’s “Sportscenter.” “Those would be big jumps for both of those teams and it could really depend on what happens at the very top [of the draft]. If we assume Caleb Williams goes first to the Bears, then what does Washington do? If Washington takes Jayden Daniels, that might make the Vikings or the Raiders less motivated to go up if Daniels is the guy they like over Drake Maye.”
If the Raiders were to trade up, it’s likely that their target would be Jayden Daniels considering his connections to head coach Antonio Pierce, who recruited the quarterback at Arizona State. The problem facing Las Vegas is that each team picking in the top three needs a quarterback and may not be willing to trade down. Plus, the Vikings appear in the running to trade and they’ve recently added an extra first-round pick this year, which is something the Raiders don’t have.
Dan Graziano reports on ESPN that the Vikings and Raiders are both desperate to move into top-3… but only for the right guy (who he clearly believes is Jayden Daniels, not Drake Maye).
Antonio Pierce Willing to Be Aggressive
The Raiders could stay put at No. 13 and take whoever is the best quarterback remaining on the board. However, that would mean they’re potentially taking the fifth or sixth-best prospect. It’s not in Antonio Pierce’s nature to be patient and wait to see what’s coming to him but he’s trying to be as logical as possible.
“Initially, I’m always going to be like, ‘I want to get it done now,’” Pierce said during his March 25 media availability. “I’ve always said when you’re in this position, you’re racing time. … You want to win now. You want to put the best together now, but you also understand it’s a process.”
Quarterback is the most important position in the NFL and the Raiders have major question marks. Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew are solid quarterbacks but haven’t proven that they can get a team over the hump. The Raiders will need to upgrade the position at some point.
Las Vegas Raiders Considering All Options
The price to trade up into the top three of the draft will likely be quite expensive. Regardless, the Raiders and Antonio Pierce aren’t ruling anything out.
“I think everything’s on the table,” Pierce said of the idea of trading up in the draft.
The Raiders appear to be taking a win-now approach to the offseason. The team went 8-9 last season and adding two wins in 2024 would likely put them in the playoff mix. Adding a star quarterback would go a long way in getting the team in the playoffs, even if it’s a rookie. Pierce knows the importance of having strong quarterback play for a team to win a Super Bowl so the team will likely be aggressive in trying to find a solution to the position until they have a long-term one.