Proposed Trade Has Raiders Land QB Who Wants to Play With Davante Adams

Despite the signing of Jimmy Garoppolo, the Las Vegas Raiders are still open to the possibility of drafting a quarterback. However, picking at No. 7 means that it’s a strong likelihood that a quarterback worth taking won’t be available to them at their current pick. That means they’ll have to trade up if they have a quarterback they really like.

ESPN’s Dianna Russini recently reported that the Raiders are open to a trade but it’d have to be for the right quarterback. The right quarterback could be Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. The going thought has been that he wouldn’t fall past the Houston Texans at No. 2. There’s now talk of the Texans taking a defensive player at No. 2, which would mean the Raiders could trade up to get him and the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 are the perfect candidate. Pro Football Network in a recent mock draft pitched a deal where Las Vegas would send the No. 7 pick, this year’s second-round pick and next year’s second-round pick to the Cardinals for the No. 3 pick. The Raiders would use the pick to select Stroud:

We have our first trade in this 2023 NFL Mock Draft. If C.J. Stroud falls past the Texans, the Arizona Cardinals have the most coveted pick in the draft. The phones are ringing off the hook, and on the other line is Mark Davis.

Jimmy Garoppolo is a lateral move at QB from Derek Carr. Even that assumes his success was not a product of the 49ers’ environment. Although Stroud’s draft stock has taken an apparent hit based on recent reporting, this is a QB-driven league, and the 6’3″, 214-pound QB has all of the traits to be a playmaker in the NFL. In a division with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, trading up for Stroud is the best way to close the gap.

Stroud Wants to Play With Davante Adams

Stroud is likely happy to get drafted by any team but the Raiders taking him might be the most exciting. He’s from Southern California where the Raiders still have a strong fan base and Las Vegas wouldn’t be far from home. Plus, he’d be able to play with the best wide receiver in the NFL.

Stroud even said recently that Davante Adams is the wide receiver he’d like to play to most.

Though the Raiders had a rough season in 2022, they’d be a great landing spot for a player like Stroud. They have an offensive-minded head coach and a strong receiving corps. Stroud would be able to learn behind Garoppolo for a year or two so there’d be no rush for him to be ready to play.

Can Raiders Afford to Give up Valuable Picks?

Stroud should be a very good NFL quarterback. He played at a high level at Ohio State and has a developed skillset for a young quarterback. He’d solve the position for the Raiders for a long time if he lives up to his draft status. However, Las Vegas has many needs, especially on defense.

Giving up two second-round picks is a big price to pay. Those could be two starters, not including the fact that the Raiders would be giving up on using the No. 7 pick on a defensive player. The team has to feel confident that Stroud is the guy if they’re going to give up all of those picks.