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Things are looking up for the Las Vegas Raiders but the quarterback position remains a major question mark. The team was commonly linked to quarterbacks in the draft and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. seemed like the most likely target.
However, the Atlanta Falcons swooped in and took Penix with the No. 8 pick, which kept him away from Las Vegas. This was especially disappointing to former Raiders Pro Bowl fullback Marcel Reece. Penix was the play he wanted his former team to draft.
“You have no idea how bad I wanted that,” Reece said on the May 14 episode of “Up and Adams.” “Atlanta made a fantastic choice taking Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick. He is going to be a fantastic leader for years and years to come. And a phenomenal quarterback. I have an unbelievable amount of confidence in that choice, no matter who he was throwing the ball to.”
Reece was an advisor to owner Mark Davis up until last season so it’s unclear if he had any insight into whether or not the Raiders were truly interested. Taking Penix at No. 13 would’ve been considered a reach by many and there’s a chance the Raiders would’ve only considered him with a later pick.
Las Vegas Raiders Weren’t Going to Trade up for Michael Penix
Even if the Raiders knew that the Falcons were going to take Penix at No. 8, that may have not made much of a difference. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the team was only considering trading up for Jayden Daniels.
“Much was made of the Raiders’ draft plans — and ultimate inaction — at quarterback,” Fowler wrote in a May 7 column. “Here’s what I know: They explored trading for Jayden Daniels, but any attempts were futile due to Washington’s stance that it wasn’t dealing the No. 2 pick. Las Vegas also had interest in Michael Penix Jr., but most likely not in a trade up. He would have been considered at No. 13 or in a trade back. I heard from multiple people in Vegas that the team did not want to reach.”
Based on this report, it sounds like the team was even apprehensive to take the quarterback at No. 13. Had the Falcons not been interested, it’s possible that no other team would’ve been willing to use a first-round pick on him, which would’ve opened the door for the Raiders to add him.
Can Las Vegas Raiders Overcome QB Deficiencies?
While Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell have proven to be solid starters, the Raiders might have the lowest upside of any quarterback room in the AFC. The conference is loaded with young and veteran quarterback talent right now.
The Raiders have a lot of good players across the roster but it’s going to be hard to win a lot of games if they’re at a quarterback disadvantage in most games. Now, there have been plenty of teams that were able to overcome lackluster quarterback play due to amazing defense. The Raiders had a top-10 scoring defense last season and should only get better. That could be enough to win 10 games and get into the playoffs but eventually, the team has to upgrade the quarterback position.
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