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The draft is nearly here for the Las Vegas Raiders and they are going to have some intriguing options with their first-round pick. For a moment, it looked like four quarterbacks could be selected in the top five but as the draft has gotten closer, it’s looking like some quarterbacks will fall. That includes Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud.
The Houston Texans were thought to be a lock to select him at No. 2 if the Carolina Panthers didn’t take him at No. 1. Now it’s looking like the Texans will go defense with their pick. The Raiders have been linked to Stroud for months but it didn’t seem like they had a realistic path to add him until now. If the Texans pass on the quarterback, the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 become even more interesting. Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal believes the Raiders need to put together a package of picks to trade up and get Stroud:
The Raiders are well positioned to draft a franchise quarterback such as Stroud. And if it means trading up to make it happen, they must do it.
Chances are, someone takes the Cardinals’ bait and trades for the third pick, likely to be Stroud. Even if that doesn’t happen, there’s the possibility of a team trading up to No. 5 or 6 and taking him.
The Raiders can eliminate those possibilities by trading picks 7, 38 and a conditional second-round pick in 2024 to the Cardinals to secure the quarterback of their future.
Stroud’s Stock Is Slipping
Stroud was about as clean as a quarterback prospect could be when the pre-draft process started. He won a lot of games at Ohio State, put up big numbers, was beloved by his teammates and almost single-handily beat a powerhouse Georgia team in the college football playoff. He’s got the ideal size for an NFL quarterback, has elite accuracy and is more athletic than he’s given credit far.
However, in recent weeks he has seen his stock slip. That has been in large part due to the 18% he scored on the S2 cognition test as reported by Bob McGinn. While every team doesn’t utilize the test, there are teams that value it highly. That could be a big reason why insiders believe he will slide.
Is Stroud Right QB for Raiders to Build Around?
Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler has already said the team doesn’t use the S2 cognition test. If Stroud did perform poorly on the test, it doesn’t seem like it would impact Las Vegas’ feelings about him. On the surface, Stroud makes a lot of sense with Josh McDaniels. He’s poised in the pocket and might be the most accurate quarterback in the draft. He may not be an elite leader but it didn’t hold him back from winning games at Ohio State.
Jimmy Garoppolo is a short-term answer at quarterback so the Raiders will eventually need to find their long-term option. Is Stroud the answer? It’s impossible to know for sure but the Raiders could be the right team to get the best out of him. The team doesn’t need to force the issue this year but they might not have another top-10 pick next year. If they have a chance to add Stroud, they should strongly consider making the move.
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