Getty Tom Telesco & Antonio Pierce of the Las Vegas Raiders.
It’s still early in the draft process and there are a lot of teams that need quarterbacks. The Las Vegas Raiders are definitely a team to watch when it comes to the 2024 NFL Draft class.
Aidan O’Connell has the potential to be a starter but his upside is limited due to his lack of athleticism. If the Raiders want a quarterback who can make plays with his feet, LSU’s Jayden Daniels makes a lot of sense.
Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report pitched a huge trade that would have the Raiders send the No. 13 overall selection, a 2024 second-round pick (No. 44 overall), a 2025 first-round pick and a 2026 second-round pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for the No. 3 pick. The Raiders would then use that pick to select Daniels.
“The details of this deal do not include two future first-round selections, but making a move into the top five for a potential shot at Daniels will cost Las Vegas a pretty penny,” Fowler wrote in a February 8 column.
“However, if head coach Antonio Pierce wants to build the Raiders from the ground up, drafting his face of the franchise could be a great message to Las Vegas fans that he’s not wasting any time.”
That’s a big price to pay for an unproven player but Daniels has big-time potential and could be the quarterback the Raiders need to get the offense playing at a high level again.
Antonio Pierce Wants Jayden Daniels: Insider
For his play on the field alone, Jayden Daniels would make sense for the Raiders. He scored 50 combined touchdowns last season for LSU en route to winning the Heisman Trophy. However, there’s an extra layer here for the Raiders.
Head coach Antonio Pierce was Daniels’ recruiting coordinator at Arizona State before he transferred to LSU. The two have maintained a relationship and Daniels was a guest during the Raiders’ Week 18 win over the Denver Broncos.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Pierce is eyeing Daniels in the draft.
“The Las Vegas Raiders (No. 13) might be a team to watch,” Fowler wrote in a February 3 column. “New coach Antonio Pierce is a big fan of Daniels from their days together at Arizona State, and word is that Pierce evaluated offensive coordinators with the loose possibility of Daniels in mind.”
Pierce has also previously liked an X post saying that Daniels wants to be a Raider in 2024. Obviously, the team can’t control where the quarterback gets drafted but trading up to No. 3 would give them a strong chance of landing him.
Jayden Daniels was special on Saturday.
Enjoy these 5 plays from his masterpiece.
Is Jayden Daniels a Fit With Luke Getsy?
Had the Raiders been able to land Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator, Jayden Daniels would make a lot of sense in Las Vegas. He had years of success working with a mobile quarterback. Unfortunately, Kingsbury decided to turn down the Raiders and the team pivoted to Luke Getsy.
He spent the last two seasons working with Justin Fields and was fired after lackluster performances. Fields is a dual-threat quarterback and couldn’t find consistency in Getsy’s offense. Daniels and Fields aren’t the same player so Antonio Pierce may not be worried about Getsy’s fit but it will be something to watch if the Raiders can land the quarterback.