Getty Josh McDaniels hugging Dave Ziegler.
The Las Vegas Raiders continue to be one of the most interesting teams to watch in the upcoming draft. The need for a quarterback isn’t as big with the team signing Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency but there is still speculation that they will draft one early. With less than a week to go before the first round of the draft, the Raiders continue to be linked to quarterbacks.
Recent rumors suggest that the Houston Texans could prefer to draft a defensive player with the No. 2 pick. If that happens, the Arizona Cardinals will be getting a lot of trade calls about the No. 3 pick. According to Dianna Russini of ESPN, the Raiders could be interested in that No. 3 pick if the board falls a certain way.
“When the Raiders are on the clock at No. 7 most of the top quarterbacks are expected to be gone, but here’s the reality of this,” Russini said on the April 20 episode of ESPN’s “Get Up,” via Bleacher Report. “Arizona really wants to move out of that No. 3 spot. Teams have been having conversations with Arizona, and Arizona is very open to moving out. So, if the Raiders see a quarterback that they are in love with, they are willing to move up there and perhaps have some conversations to go get their guy. But that being said, defense is the focus from what I can gather from having a couple of conversations with where they would like to go.”
Which QB Do Raiders Love?
Russini’s report would suggest that the Raiders are either already in love with a quarterback in the class or open to the idea of falling in love. It’s looking like a foregone conclusion that Alabama’s Bryce Young will be the No. 1 pick. Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud is widely considered the second-best quarterback in the class. He’s also a player that is easy to say the Raiders falling in love with.
He’s a great pocket passer who is arguably the most accurate quarterback in the class. Those are things that head coach Josh McDaniels values highly. Stroud is the safest quarterback of the group and McDaniels isn’t a big risk-taker. If there’s any quarterback that the team could fall in love with, Stroud seems like the obvious candidate.
What C.J. Stroud is trying to show teams in interviews here. Raiders were his first meeting.
Some Believe Stroud is QB1
There was momentum for a brief time that the Carolina Panthers were going to take Stroud but they appear to have landed on Young as their guy. Things could change but Young has already canceled meetings with other teams so it’s looking like a done deal he’ll be the No. 1 pick.
However, there are still people in the league that prefer Stroud.
“Best player. Played from the pocket. Good arm. Good athlete. Good size. Tough. I don’t see very many flaws,” an AFC executive told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. “Who would you pick if you had the first overall pick? I’d probably pick him.”
If the Raiders could get arguably the best quarterback in the draft at No. 3, that would be worth a trade-up. Now, Stroud is more pro-ready than other prospects so having him sit behind Garoppolo might be tough. That could factor into the decision of whether or not the Raiders are willing to move up to get him.