Getty Las Vegas Raiders GM Tom Telesco.
The Las Vegas Raiders seem to want to draft LSU’s Jayden Daniels but that might not be possible. He’s likely to be a top-three pick and the Raiders don’t pick until No. 13.
The team may also be warming up to the idea of waiting until No. 13 to draft a quarterback. According to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, there is some talk of the Raiders reaching for a quarterback.
“The whispers are getting louder that the Raiders just might take Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. here (at No. 13),” Tafur wrote in an April 15 column. “Penix’s stock has risen since he had clean medicals at the NFL Scouting Combine. He has the best deep ball in the draft but, in our book, is still a bit of a project mechanically to be taken this high. It’s bad value.”
Penix will likely be available late in the first round or early in the second round, which is why Tafur believes taking him at No. 13 would be bad value. However, if the Raiders think that he can be a franchise quarterback, there’s no sense in risking letting another team take him. The team does have some big needs on the offensive line and at quarterback that they could address in the first round but they may need to add another pick later in the first round if they’d also want Penix.
One Coach Thinks Michael Penix Jr. Is QB2
Michael Penix Jr. has been a difficult evaluation this offseason. His stats were impressive and he won a lot at Washington. However, he’s going to be 24 when the season starts and has an extensive injury history. Coaches and scouts seem torn on Penix but there are some who think very highly of the quarterback.
“Penix is my No. 2 guy,” a coach said of Penix, per an April 8 column from Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “I love Penix. He’s a stud, a born leader, calm and collected and in a genuine way. He’s a baller. He turns it loose, can throw it into tight windows. He stands in the pocket, lets plays develop, takes hits, throws it down the field. He’s just a winner.”
That’s certainly high praise for the quarterback. This would suggest that at least one coach thinks Penix is better than Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy. Getting that type of prospect at No. 13 would be a steal but not everybody is that high on Penix.
Is Michael Penix Jr. Worth a 1st-Round Pick?
With some coaches thinking very highly of Michael Penix Jr., it’s possible that he won’t last until the second round. It’s always difficult to tell with quarterbacks. Some thought Will Levis would be a top-10 pick last year but he dropped to the second round.
The biggest red flag with Penix is his upside. He could come into the NFL and be really good as a rookie but might not have much room to grow. For the Raiders, he’d likely be an upgrade over Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew but is he good enough to compete with Patrick Mahomes? Not many quarterbacks are and the Raiders may want to wait until they can find a quarterback with that kind of potential.