Getty Carolina Panthers QB Matt Corral.
The Las Vegas Raiders seemed destined to draft a quarterback this year following the release of Derek Carr. Even when the team signed Jimmy Garoppolo, there was still an expectation they would draft a quarterback. However, the draft is nearly here, and the momentum that the team would draft a quarterback slowed down.
With so many needs on the offensive line and defense, the Raiders may hold off on addressing the quarterback issue until next year. Regardless, they still should add a young quarterback behind Garoppolo in the event he gets injured. Brian Hoyer is a savvy veteran but he shouldn’t be taking snaps at this point in his career. The Raiders could add a quarterback later in the draft or they could look to add one that never got a fair chance on another team. Alex Kay of Bleacher Report pitched a trade that sends a fourth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers and in return, they would get 2022 third-round pick Matt Corral.
“The Las Vegas Raiders would make an ideal landing spot for Corral, given projected starter Jimmy Garoppolo’s age and injury woes,” Kay wrote. “With little chance of landing a franchise quarterback at No. 7 overall, the Raiders could try to find their quarterback of the future via a low-risk deal involving an early Day 3 pick.”
Does Corral Still Have Potential?
The 2022 draft class was one of the worst in recent memory when it came to quarterbacks. Only one quarterback was taken in the first two rounds and seventh-round pick Brock Purdy appears to be the best quarterback from the class. Corral was supposed to be one of the better prospects last year but fell to the third round.
Despite the Panthers having major issues at quarterback last season, Corral didn’t play a single snap. The team also traded for the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft and will be taking a quarterback. That shows that they don’t have much faith in Corral. He’s not the most physically gifted quarterback but he was solid in college. There could still be some potential there. Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels has a strong track record of developing quarterbacks and Corall would be a low-risk move for him to make and would give him a little bit more excitement out of his backup quarterback.
MATT CORRAL. SPIN MOVE 🌪
Are Raiders Truly Passing on Drafting a QB Early This Year?
Garoppolo is a very good stopgap quarterback but there’s a reason the 49ers were trying to move on from him for years. He just can’t stay healthy for a full season. There’s no reason to believe that a move to Las Vegas is going to change that. The NFL is run by quarterbacks and the Raiders might have the weakest in the AFC West. Aaron Rodgers just came to the AFC so Las Vegas likely doesn’t have a top-10 quarterback in just the conference.
At a certain point, the Raiders will need to take a swing at a quarterback. That could still be this year. The Raiders benefit from teams not thinking they’re going to take a quarterback. If they can stay at No. 7 and get the quarterback they want, that would be a huge win. It’s very possible the plan is to address the offensive line or the defense in the first round but drafting a quarterback can’t be ruled out.