Getty Raiders potential draft target Jayden Daniels
It’s been no secret, going back to when Antonio Pierce was given the Raiders head coaching position as an interim and rolling right though him getting the job on a permanent basis, that the team has its eyes on LSU star quarterback Jayden Daniels. It’s likely that Daniels will be a Top 3 pick, though, and with the Raiders’ draft spot slotted at No. 13, they’ll have to move up significantly to be in position to draft Daniels.
And The Athletic has a scenario in which the Raiders might be able to do just that. It won’t come easy, but the Raiders have solid units in just about every area of the field, so securing their quarterback of the future might be the priority when late April arrives.
From The Athletic on Thursday: “Proposed deal: Las Vegas trades Nos. 13, 44 and 112 and a 2025 first-round pick to New England for No. 3.”
Phew. That is a significant haul for the Raiders to give up. But, relatively speaking, it’s not a bad cost if Daniels is the guy the Raiders (or at least, Pierce) seem to think he is.
Raiders Trade Package Much More Modest Than Panthers
Consider what the Panthers coughed up last season to the Bears for the No. 1 overall pick. Yes, No. 1 comes with an extra cost, but the Panthers were moving up only eight spots. The Raiders want to move up nine.
But in that deal, the Bears sent the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 to Carolina for the No. 9 pick and the No. 61 pick (a second-rounder). They also got the Panthers’ first-rounder in 2024—the No. 1 overall pick, as it happens—as well as a second-rounder in the 2025 draft.
If we stop right there, the deals are comparable. But remember, too, that the Panthers added 26-year-old star wide receiver DJ Moore to the package, after Moore had racked up three 1,110-yard seasons in his past four with Carolina. He went for 1,364 yards in 2023 with the Bears.
That would be the equivalent of the Raiders chucking Davante Adams into the deal. They’re not doing that, of course, which means the cost to move up for Daniels would be reasonably low for the silver-and-black.
Do Raiders Believe in Jayden Daniels?
The Patriots do hold the key to this draft with the third pick. The presumption is that the Bears will take Caleb Williams with the first pick, and the Commanders will take Drake Maye at No. 2. Now, either of those teams could shake things up by changing their minds on those choices.
Even if it is Maye at No. 3, there are reports that both Minnesota and Denver are also looking to move up and would have interest in a deal with the Patriots. The Vikings pick 11th and the Broncos are slated for No. 12. Thus, the Raiders would have to work a little extra hard to get past them and persuade New England to deal No. 3 to them.
But the connection between Pierce and Daniels is a strong one, as Pierce recruited Daniels to play at Arizona State when he was coaching there. Daniels left Tempe for LSU after Pierce left for the NFL. Last season with the Tigers, Daniels won the Heisman Trophy award as he threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns (with only four interceptions).
Daniels ran for another 1,134 and 10 touchdowns. Pierce liked what he saw–but we’re not sure that GM Tom Telesco agrees.
“One thing about him that separates from the rest is his ability to run,” Pierce said from the owners meetings this week. “He can run, run. He can run like that in the SEC and put up those kinds of numbers. I think that translates very well.”