The Raiders have held exploratory talks to trade for a top-3 pick in the NFL Draft (2024).
The Las Vegas Raiders have held exploratory discussions about moving up to the top three picks in the 2024 NFL draft instead of selecting at number thirteen overall.
In answer to a reader’s mailbag question about if the Raiders were trying to trade up and, if so, how far, Albert Breer of MMQB disclosed that information.According to Breer, the Las Vegas Raiders have held exploratory discussions about advancing into the top three.
Will they succeed? The first three picks, in my opinion, won’t be traded, and the team’s assessment of McCarthy (and possibly a few others) will determine what happens after that.
From there, it will depend on whether the situation worsens to the point where the former Michigan quarterback is not selected at No. 13 (which is definitely conceivable). There is still much work ahead of us.
That step up would probably involve choosing a quarterback. In the most recent Bleacher Report NFL Scouting Department mock draft, Caleb Williams of USC, Drake Maye of UNC, and Jayden Daniels of LSU are ranked one, two, and three, respectively.
The problem facing the Raiders is that, as Breer pointed out, in order to advance, they want a willing trade partner.By all accounts, the Chicago Bears will select Williams with the first overall pick, even if they still have Justin Fields.
Both the Washington Commanders and the New England Patriots, who traded quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars to end his career, need long-term quarterback solutions. That being said, it makes sense for both teams to hold onto their quarterbacks.
Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell, two solid starters who can win games, are now vying for the position of quarterback in Las Vegas.
But their ceilings are constrained, so the Raiders will have to go up in order to find a blue-chip quarterback around whom to develop.
If their preference is for someone like Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, who has garnered a ton of momentum in the pre-draft in recent weeks, then perhaps their best chance is to attempt to move all the way up to No. 4 (now owned by the Arizona Cardinals).
In the end, considering the teams that hold the top three rankings, a rise to those positions looks improbable. The Raiders can find comfort in the knowledge that they finished the previous season with a 5-4 record, including a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, who went on to win the Super Bowl, thanks to the excellent momentum led by then-interim and current head coach Antonio Pierce.
