Proposed Trade Has Raiders Move up 9 Spots in the Draft

Getty Antonio Pierce with Tom Telesco.

The Arizona Cardinals are in an interesting position heading into the 2024 NFL Draft. They are the only team drafting in the top four that doesn’t need a quarterback.

That makes them a top candidate for teams looking to trade up. The Las Vegas Raiders need a quarterback but don’t pick until No. 13. Trading with the Cardinals would guarantee them a shot at one of the top four quarterbacks in the draft. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report pitched a trade that would have the Raiders send the No. 13 pick and their 2025 first-round pick to the Cardinals for the No. 4 pick.

“The Las Vegas Raiders won eight games last year despite a revolving door of mediocrity at quarterback,” Davenport wrote in a March 21 column. “The team hit the position in free agency with the addition of veteran Gardner Minshew, but with all due respect to ‘Minshew Mania,’ he’s a journeyman stopgap at best.”

“It wouldn’t be an inexpensive move for the Raiders—a nine-pick jump is going to cost Las Vegas its first-rounder next year,” he added. “For the Cardinals, staying inside the top 15 this year and grabbing an extra pick in 2025, while not quite as attractive as Minnesota’s theoretical offer, would be a solid haul.”

Considering how many teams are vying for a quarterback right now, only having to give up one future first-round pick to move from No. 13 to No. 4 would be a deal for the Raiders. However, it’s difficult to imagine the Cardinals wouldn’t be able to get more for the pick.

Which QB Would Las Vegas Raiders Target at No. 4?

The only quarterback who is almost certainly not guaranteed to be at No. 4 is Caleb Williams. There’s an outside chance that Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels could fall to the Raiders but that’s also unlikely. The quarterback who would most likely be the target at No. 4 is Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.

The 21-year-old quarterback has been quickly rising up draft boards due to his potential. McCarthy didn’t show too much explosiveness in college but he never really had to. Despite only throwing 22 touchdowns last season, Michigan was able to win the National Championship. McCarthy is young, athletic and has good arm talent. There’s a lot of risk with drafting him so early but the payoff could be huge.

J.J. McCarthy Talks Pro Day

No quarterback has helped themselves more this offseason than J.J. McCarthy. While many expected him to be a late first-round pick or an early second-round pick, not many thought there’d be talk of him being a top-five pick.

He only helped himself more with his performance at the Michigan Pro Day where he impressed scouts. He was happy with how he performed.

“I just wanted to showcase the questions they had about out-breakers to the left and putting some air on the deep posts, stuff like that,” McCarthy said after his March 22 Pro Day, per The Athletic’s Austin Meek. “I felt like I did that today. I’m pretty confident with the showing I put out there.”

It’s still difficult to know for sure where McCarthy will end up on draft night but the Raiders should be a team to watch.