Raiders NFL Draft Preview: Will Las Vegas Bring In Another Rookie QB?

ROUND 1, Pick No. 13

All four of the top quarterbacks (Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and JJ McCarthy) are off the board at this point as are all three of the top receivers (Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze and Malik Nabers), plus pass rusher Dallas Turner, tackle Joe Alt — and here was the surprise: both of the top two cornerbacks. 

Honestly, this was a worst-case scenario for the Raiders — and nobody is blowing up my phone with a compelling trade offer, so we’re going to stay and pick here. As I say that, two options run through my mind: do I get wild and draft Byron Murphy, the defensive tackle from Texas who I love, and just throw him next to Christian Wilkins and Maxx Crosby and see what happens? Or do I play it safe and grab Taliese Fuaga or J.C. Latham and plug them in at right tackle? Yes, Brock Bowers is also still on the board but I can’t justify that here.

Forget it. We need to nail this, so we’re turning in the card: J.C. Latham, right tackle out of Alabama.

ROUND 2, Pick No. 44

There they are — staring at me — the names of both Michael Penix and Bo Nix, both still on the board here in the second.

And…

I love it.

I actually like both of these guys — not to be the next Patrick Mahomes, but to be a mid-level starting quarterback in the NFL for the next 7-10 years and guys who can win if surrounded with a good enough roster.

Forget trading back, we’re running this bad boy up to the podium: Michael Penix Jr., quarterback out of the University of Washington.

(Side note: I think there’s a non-zero chance the Raiders might take Penix at No. 13, and while I don’t love it, I would talk myself into it. I think Penix has the chance to be very, very good — albeit with lots of risk.)

(Side, side note: I think I’d prefer Michael Penix to J.J. McCarthy! But enough hot takes, onto Round 3…)

ROUND 3, Pick No. 77

Here’s where things get spicy. I mentioned above that the Raiders still need a corner — but it’s also time to start looking at needs that are of secondary priority. Here I’m talking about things like running back (I personally don’t think Zamir White is a permanent answer), guard (could make a case this is a primary need) and defensive tackle.

As the board falls, we have some options: the top running back, Trey Benson, is still available — and he’s the highest-ranked player on the board. Do we go “best player available” and throw away need? Or do we go with a guard like Cooper Beebe from Kansas State?

Nope.

Jack Jones needs a running mate, so we’re taking Khyree Jackson, a cornerback from Oregon. Jackson is 6’4″, 194 pounds, and ran a 4.5 40, which matches up with what he put on film at Oregon (and Alabama before that). Bang, bang.

ROUND 4: TRADE!

As the draft unfolded, we didn’t want to wait until Pick No. 112, so we moved up six spots (costing us a 2025 5th Round Pick) to grab a guy we really like: MarShawn Lloyd, running back from USC.

This is a guy with legit burst and the ability to make a difference in the passing game. While there are some drawbacks (ball security, blocking), I’m willing to bet on him improving once he gets to the pros.

ROUND 5, Pick No. 148

Thought about moving back a dozen spots and adding a late-round pick but decided to play it safe and grab a guy I feel decent about: Tanor Bortolini, Guard/Center from Wisconsin.

An interior lineman from Wisconsin? What’s the miss rate on these guys, like 0%? He started out at guard and then moved to center last season and was a bit uneven — but we need him back at guard, so we’re drafting him to plug the hole at right guard either this year or down the road.

ROUND 6, Pick No. 208

At this point you’re taking some swings and hoping for guys that can make the roster as a rotational body — so give me Gabe Hall, defensive tackle from Baylor. 6’6″, 294 pounds is going to play up rotationally next to Wilkins and Crosby, so why not?

ROUND 7, Pick No. 223

Anthony Gould, wide receiver from Oregon State is the pick here — and hear me out on this. I know Tre Tucker exists to fill the very short, very fast, very twitchy receiver bucket for the Raiders, but what about having two of those guys? Gould was dynamic as a punt returner, so with the new kickoff rule in place maybe he can carve out a role for himself there and play the Deandre Carter role far less expensively?

ROUND 7, Pick No. 229

Going back to the Oregon well here and grabbing a guy who played next to Jackson last season: safety Evan Williams. This guy has special teamer written all over him and reminds me a bit of Erik Harris in that he just feels like an Antonio Pierce guy to me. If he makes the team as a backup safety, it’s a win — and if not, it’s no biggie.

RECAP

1st: J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama

2nd: Michael Penix, QB, Washington

3rd: Khyree Jackson, CB, Oregon

4th: MarShawn Lloyd, RB, USC

5th: Tanor Bortolini, G, Wisconsin

6th: Gabe Hall, DT, Baylor

7th: Anthony Gould, WR, Oregon State; Evan Williams, S, Oregon

It’s funny to see in hindsight how many PAC-12 (RIP) guys ended up in Vegas (5), but in general, I feel pretty good about how this played out.

The upside of this class: if you take an offensive tackle at No. 13, you feel confident you’ve solved that position for the next decade — which is a really big deal given the cost of signing those guys. Now, the swing on quarterback is a far riskier proposition, but I think given the lack of compelling guys in the 2025 class I think you take your chances if there’s a guy you like — and we did. From there you’re basically hoping that one of Jackson and Bortolini become a starter, feel good about Lloyd being (at worst) a complimentary back, and the last three guys are lottery tickets you just hope make the roster.

If you wanted to pick this apart, it’s that I said above we needed to solve at least two of our three needs, and because of Penix’s wide range of outcomes, I’m not positive we did. It would have been safer to draft a guard (Jackson Powers-Johnson or Zach Frazier) with a higher floor — or even a corner like T.J. Tampa — and then you walk away with more sure things (albeit with less upside). These are the types of difficult decisions Telesco and Pierce will be facing come Thursday and Friday — and ones that will reverberate through the building for years and years to come.