Getty Las Vegas Raiders GM Tom Telesco.
As the 2024 NFL Draft gets closer, it’s looking less and less likely the Las Vegas Raiders will be able to trade up into the top three to land one of the elite quarterback prospects. However, it’s not totally impossible, according to The Athletic’s Tashan Reed.
LSU’s Jayden Daniels has been most commonly linked to the Raiders due to his previous ties with head coach Antonio Pierce. In a recent mock draft, Reed projects Las Vegas to make two separate trades. One would be to get the No. 7 pick from the Tennessee Titans which would then be used to trade up and get the No. 3 pick from the New England Patriots.
“Altogether, I paid a pretty penny to move up to No. 3 — a first- and third-round pick in 2024 and a first-, second- and fourth-round pick in 2025 — but I felt it was worth it to land a quarterback with star potential,” Reed wrote in a March 7 mock draft.
Getting up to No. 3 while only giving up two first-round picks in total would be a stroke of brilliance from general manager Tom Telesco. That said, it would be very difficult to make that happen. This scenario would require a lot of luck for the Raiders but anything is possible on draft day.
Why Jayden Daniels Makes Sense for Las Vegas Raiders
Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels are widely considered the top three quarterback prospects in the draft. Williams is the likely No. 1 pick while Maye is expected to either go second or third.
The Raiders would have to hope that the Washington Commanders prefer Maye at No. 2 than Daniels or they likely have no shot at getting the quarterback. Tashan Reed detailed why Daniels is the right fit for Las Vegas.
“Pierce recruited Daniels out of high school and worked with him for three seasons at Arizona State,” Reed wrote. “Their long-standing relationship doesn’t guarantee Daniels will pan out. But that familiarity does have value when it comes to integrating the quarterback into the Raiders’ culture under Pierce, bringing the coaching staff up to speed on what makes Daniels tick and helping put him in a position to succeed. Pierce knows Daniels on and off the field, and that goes a long way.”
Daniels has spoken highly of Pierce and there’s a longstanding relationship there. If he could pick his landing spot, the Raiders would have a really good chance of adding him but that’s not how the draft works.
Jayden Daniels on his meeting with Raiders and old friend Antonio Pierce:
Is Landing Jayden Daniels Realistic?
It’s certainly possible that the Raiders can get Jayden Daniels. What makes it difficult is that they need a lot of scenarios to play out. If the Commanders favor Daniels over Drake Maye, then this is all moot. Washington needs a quarterback badly and they’ll want to take advantage of having such a high draft pick.
If Daniels can get past the Commanders, then the Raiders have to worry about the Patriots. New England also has a huge quarterback need but they’re in a long-term rebuild. Las Vegas needs to hope that the Patriots prefer to acquire more picks and build out the rest of the roster before starting their rookie quarterback clock. It’s possible but the Raiders need a lot of luck.
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