When Thursday hits later this week, the Las Vegas Raiders and the rest of the league will be exactly two weeks away from the 2024 NFL draft, which will begin on April 25 and run through April 27.
Raiders fans have dreams of landing their next franchise quarterback this year, with many hoping Las Vegas can pull off a trade to move up in position to grab LSU quarterback, Jayden Daniels.
The problem, of course, is that it's going to take a King's ransom to move up that high, especially when you consider the kind of competition the Raiders will likely face, with multiple quarterback-needy teams around them. One of them, the Minnesota Vikings, has two first-round picks.
While it feels like a pipe dream, at least one analyst believes it can happen. That's just one of the many directions the Raiders go in our mock draft roundup with a shade over two weeks go to before the NFL draft.
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
The Raiders may be left out on the first-round run of QBs unless they trade up. They do have a bridge option in Gardner Minshew, and they could use this pick instead to get a strong, athletic bookend for Kolton Miller up front.
Nate Davis, USA TODAY (trade up to No. 2): QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
One slight issue: GM Tom Telesco would likely have to surrender at least three first-round picks, including No. 13 overall this year, to make this happen – and such a package might only be a conversation starter with a Washington team that also covets a franchise QB.
Garrett Podell, CBS Sports: QB Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Michael Penix Jr. makes his debut in this series of mock drafts thanks to his stock rising after a pro day workout in which he recorded a 40-yard dash time in the 4.5s, revealing athleticism he didn't showcase in college (eight rushing yards on 35 carries last season). The Raiders fail to trade up for Jayden Daniels, so Antonio Pierce gets a QB to build around after Las Vegas hosted Penix for a visit earlier this month.
Max Chadwick, Pro Football Focus: QB Michael Penix Jr., Washington
The 1983 NFL Draft set the record for the most first-round quarterbacks, with six hearing their names called. This class not only has a strong chance of tying that record, but all six could go in the top 15.
Penix has NFL-level arm talent and was one of the best signal-callers in college football in each of the past two seasons.
Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic: OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
It’s hard for me to see the Raiders having enough to make a move up into the top five for a quarterback, and they actually feel like a possible trade-down candidate. However, Fuaga would be a perfect way to kick off the now-official Antonio Pierce era.
Tashan Reed, The Athletic: CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
The Raiders could roll into the 2024 season with a cornerback room led by Jack Jones, Nate Hobbs, Brandon Facyson and Jakorian Bennett, but they’d be wise to add another potential impact player at the position. Mitchell fits that billing. He is well built at 6 feet, 195 pounds, ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the combine and is a freak athlete. He’s competitive, confident and skilled in man and zone coverages. He’s a physical player in run support and pass coverage. He was a three-year starter at Toledo and was named a second-team All-American in 2022 and 2023. He has elite ball skills, finishing his college career with six interceptions and 52 pass breakups, and is consistent on a play-by-play basis. He could compete with Facyson and Bennett to become a starter right off the bat.
Adam Rank, NFL.com: TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
You might be tempted to go quarterback here. I get it. But I also believe you can get by with Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew. Hell, Minshew nearly led the Colts to the playoffs last season.
Cornerback is another position you could target, and the offensive line needs help. But I love Bowers in this spot as a top-10 talent going to a team that could use more playmakers. New Raiders OC Luke Getsy liked to use "12" personnel with the Bears last year; combining Bowers with Michael Mayer would be straight up fire, like Gordon Ramsay cooking something up in Hell's Kitchen.
Diante Lee, The 33rd Team: OT Olu Fashanu, Penn State
Fit: Olu Fashanu has seen his draft stock wane in recent months, but nothing on his tape should remove him from the top tier with Alt and Latham. He still has some work to do as a run blocker, but the footwork and feel as a pass protector is pure. There’s some risk involved in flipping him from left tackle to right, but you can’t let a prospect this good pass by a need this dire.
There’s no doubt the Las Vegas Raiders would like to bring in a quarterback, but they’ll have to settle with a Day 2 guy in this mock.
