Going into the 2024 NFL Draft, the biggest story line with the Las Vegas Raiders was the quarterback position, where many fans feel they don't have the long-term solution.
The Raiders strengthened the position with the signing of Gardner Minshew in free agency and have promising second-year signal-caller Aidan O'Connell returning.
But fans were yearning for someone who they considered more of a difference-maker. Ultimately, the Raiders did not come away with that player in the draft, leaving fans disappointed.
As a result of their lack of an addition at quarterback during the 2024 NFL Draft, Pro Football Network's Dakota Randall suggests that the position is the Raiders' biggest remaining need ahead of this coming season.
Aidan O’Connell is an intriguing second-year quarterback, and Gardner Minshew is a good backup who could win the starting job in training camp. But neither is a franchise quarterback, making it difficult to envision the Las Vegas Raiders going far this season.
Las Vegas was connected to multiple QBs before the draft but didn’t select any.
While that's certainly fair considering it's the most important position in the sport, we really don't fully know what Las Vegas has in O'Connell, who had his ups and downs in 2023 but finished strong and showed he's at least competent.
With some improvements, O'Connell should be enough to get the Raiders to the playoffs, assuming the defense is as good as it looks on paper. The level of improvement will determine how much farther he can get them, though.
We do know what the Raiders have in Minshew, who has shown himself to be a serviceable starter but not nearly the kind of quarterback who can throw a team on his back and lead it to big things. He should, however, also be able to get Las Vegas to the postseason.
There is certainly hope under center for the Raiders in 2024, especially when it comes to O'Connell, but it's hard not to at least have doubts about the position because of the overall uncertainty. That's enough to justify calling quarterback the Raiders' biggest remaining need.
