Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
With 12 picks in the upcoming draft, the Las Vegas Raiders are likely to add a quarterback at some point. There’s been talk about the team using one of its first picks to address the position but it’s difficult to know what their plan is. If they really want one of the top guys, they may have to trade up.
If they’re willing to wait until the second round, they could have a chance at drafting Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker. He likely would’ve been a first-round pick if he hadn’t torn his ACL during the college football season. Despite that, the 2022 SEC Offensive Player of the Year is a fast riser in the draft. The Raiders may need to add a late first-round pick if they want Hooker.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report doesn’t believe that would be a good idea. He urged the Raiders to avoid Hooker as there is a chance that it will take a few years for him to develop into an NFL quarterback.
“Because of how Garoppolo’s contract is constructed, Las Vegas should be eyeing a quarterback it can turn to as early as 2024—the Raiders can release Garoppolo after the season and save $9.3 million of the 2024 cap. That simply isn’t Hooker,” Knox wrote.
Momentum Gaining for Hooker to Be 1st-Round Pick
Hooker ran a simple offense at Tennessee but he has impressed teams in meetings. He’s already 25 and has been in school for a long time. His age might be a concern to some teams but he should be more mature than many other prospects. A possible issue is that he may not be ready to play until he’s 26 or 27. He’s already older than star quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts who have both spent multiple seasons in the NFL.
Regardless, that may not stop a team from taking him in the first round. In fact, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has him going to the Seattle Seahawks at No. 30 in his latest mock draft.
“There’s some buzz about Hooker rising into the first round and this could be the perfect landing spot,” Kiper wrote. “I have a second-round grade on him, but I can see why he might be appealing.”
Hendon Hooker’s parents got emotional when he struck up the band on Senior Day 🥺
Could Raiders Hold off on Adding QB Until Next Year?
Prior to the Carolina Panthers trading up for the No. 1 pick, it looked like there was a good chance the Raiders could go after a quarterback in this year’s draft. They were even one of the teams that reached out to the Chicago Bears to trade up to No. 1. However, the Panthers are going to take a quarterback at No. 1 and the Houston Texans are likely to take one at No. 2.
That would mean the best the Raiders can do is land the third-best quarterback in the class. If the team isn’t high on the quarterbacks that Houston and Carolina pass on, they could hold off on addressing the position until next year. The 2024 class of quarterbacks is shaping up to be quite impressive. If the Raiders are going to go all out and trade up to get one, it might be wiser to wait a year. Jimmy Garoppolo will give the team solid quarterback play in the meantime so there’s no reason to force the issue unless they have a player they really like available to them.