Getty Las Vegas Raiders GM Tom Telesco.
The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t leaked out their draft plans yet but it seems likely that they’ll consider their options at quarterback. Moving up into the top three will prove difficult so the team may sit back and see how the board plays out.
Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy is considered by many to be the fourth-best quarterback in the draft. If he somehow falls to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8, Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team is predicting the Raiders to trade up and select McCarthy.
“Being stuck in a division with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert means the Las Vegas Raiders and Broncos might have to get creative to find their solutions at the position,” Valentino wrote in an April 11 column.
“Las Vegas doesn’t have to act completely desperate because it has Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O’Connell on the roster, but being within range of a move for J.J. McCarthy makes them trading up possible. McCarthy offers a much better physical skill set to develop than his peers on the roster.”
Moving from No. 13 to No. 8 will be much less costly than moving up into the top three. However, would the Raiders want to move up to take the fourth-best quarterback in the draft? That remains to be seen.
Will J.J. McCarthy Make It out of the Top 5?
When the offseason first started, J.J. McCarthy was expected to be available by pick No. 8. In recent months, he’s been one of the fastest risers in the draft. Recent mock drafts from ESPN and NFL.com both have McCarthy being selected in the top five.
It seems like every year there’s a quarterback who gets hyped up during the draft process who ends up falling so it’s possible that will be McCarthy this year but it’s still hard to see a scenario where he’s available at No. 8.
The Raiders could always trade further up the board but that will be costly. It may be worth it if the team could get one of the top three quarterbacks but might be too steep of a price for McCarthy, who never threw for more than 22 touchdowns in a season in college.
JJ McCarthy on his meeting with the Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders Could Go OL in 1st-Round
With finding a way to trade up for a top quarterback proving difficult, the Raiders could address other needs with their first-round pick. The team needs a new right tackle after Jermaine Eluemunor signed with the New York Giants in free agency.
In Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft for ESPN, he has the Raiders selecting Oregon State offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga.
“Las Vegas could be another team to watch for the edge rushers, but I don’t think it can ignore its void at right tackle, particularly in this great class,” Kiper wrote in his April 10 mock draft. “Fuaga, one of my favorite prospects in this draft, is a punishing blocker who plays with nastiness. He allowed just one sack over the past two seasons while playing right tackle for the Beavers. He and veteran Kolton Miller would make a solid duo of bookends. Cornerback is the other position I considered for the Raiders, with Terrion Arnold (Alabama) likely to go in this range.”