Raiders general manager Tom Telesco, left, and head coach Antonio Pierce respond to questions from reporters during a news conference at Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024.
Thursday, April 25, 2024 | 11:12 a.m.
It’s Draft Day, which for Raider fans has for about two decades been the most exciting day of the year. For hours leading up to the announcement of the team’s first-round pick, the anticipation builds, and Raider Nation has allowed itself to dream of an offense running through future Hall of Famers like Adrian Peterson or Calvin Johnson, or the defense being led by stalwarts like T.J. Watt or Ed Reed.
But in many years, those dreams have been squashed when the pick is actually announced.
Oh, sure, there have been some successes — Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper, Kolton Miller and Josh Jacobs among them. But there have been far more duds than studs, more head-scratchers than fist bumps for Raider fans.
This year, the bad news is that the player the fans most covet, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels from LSU, is probably not in the cards. The Raiders draft 13th, and Daniels is widely considered a lock to be taken tonight within the first three picks — all of which are owned by teams in need of a quarterback.
The good news, though, is that there are no less than 20 players available whom the fans can genuinely be excited to see don the Silver and Black.
Here are those players:
Quarterback (4)
Daniels and fellow Heisman winner Caleb Williams (USC) won’t be there, and it’s unlikely that Drake Maye (North Carolina) will be, either. Michael Penix (Washington) might be, and landing any of those four would give crowds at Allegiant Stadium reason to cheer. They are productive and exciting playmakers with lots of experience that make them game-day ready.
And yet, there’s no reason the Raiders have to go with a quarterback in the first round. Aidan O’Connell showed promise as a rookie, and the Raiders signed veteran Gardner Minshew in the offseason. Minshew has started 37 games in his five-year career. The Raiders can upgrade at quarterback if the right player falls to them, but they have don’t have to reach.
Side note: Yes, Bo Nix (Oregon) and J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) are in the mix, too, but should Raider Nation be excited for them? Probably not.
Offensive line (7)
Joe Alt (Notre Dame), Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State), Olu Fashanu (Penn State), JC Latham (Alabama), Amarius Mims (Georgia) and Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma) are all mountains who would be considered upgrades at right tackle, though the Raiders’ Thayer Munford is just as big and played admirably in place of injured Kolton Miller last season. Picking one of these players and having Munford available as a swing tackle or extra tight end for jumbo formations is a legitimate strategy, though it still leaves a hole at right guard.
Guard would not be the most exciting pick for fans, but if the Raiders took Troy Fautanu (Washington), Graham Barton (Duke) or Jackson Powers-Johnson (Oregon), it would put a smile on the faces of Las Vegas running backs Zamir White and Alexander Mattison.
Side note: A player is more than his worst play, but I personally can’t get out of my head the image of Latham being driven across the line of scrimmage on the most important play of Alabama’s season, with the game on the line against Michigan in the college football playoff. And I worry about Mims’ health issues. So I’d scratch them from the list of players whose names I’d be excited to hear called tonight.
Wide receiver (4)
The Raiders have Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, plus speedy Tre Tucker coming off the bench. But Adams is 31 years old and Meyers has plenty of experience playing in the slot, so if a top-flight receiver is available at 13 — it likely won’t be Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State), but there’s an outside chance at LSU’s Malik Nabers or Brian Thomas Jr., or Rome Odunze (Washington) — then the Raiders could feel good about jumping on that opportunity to boost the offense. Giving O’Connell or Minshew a rounded-out set of skill players would undoubtedly improve their own play, and by the time Adams is ready to retire or move on, the team would have a star ready to take over his role as the top target.
Tight end (1)
Brock Bowers (Georgia) is a special player, and if a special player is available to you, you should have no compunction about taking him. Some of the league’s best quarterbacks in recent history have leaned on freakishly talented tight ends to propel them to success. Patrick Mahomes has Travis Kelce in Kansas City; Tom Brady had Rob Gronkowski in New England and Tampa Bay; Philip Rivers had Antonio Gates in San Diego. The presence of Michael Mayer on the Raiders’ roster should not dissuade them from taking Bowers if he’s available. It should simply persuade offensive coordinator Luke Getsy to get to work designing more plays that feature two-tight end sets.
Defensive end (3)
It’s unusual for edge rushers with the physical traits and productivity of Dallas Turner (Alabama), Laiatu Latu (UCLA) and Jared Verse (Florida State) not to be considered top-5 picks. But this year, most teams picking in the top 10 are so offensively challenged that prognosticators are penciling in offensive linemen, receivers and quarterbacks to everyone.
If that actually happens, the Raiders can see a superstar pass rusher drop to them, which would surely please the late Al Davis, who famously said, “The quarterback must go down, and he must go down hard.”
The Raiders have Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce and Tyree Wilson on the roster, but Koonce is entering the final year of his contract, Wilson has the size to kick inside, and Crosby shouldn’t be expected to continue playing 98% of snaps.
An edge rusher might seem like a luxury for the Raiders, but stacking talent on top of talent is often a successful strategy. Being able to send waves of fresh rushers at opposing linemen can pay dividends as games and seasons wear on down the stretch.
Defensive tackle (2)
Using Byron Murphy (Texas) or Jer’Zhan Newton (Illinois) as a rotational player with veteran John Jenkins next to free agent acquisition Christian Wilkins, along a line that also features Koonce, Crosby and Wilson, would make for a fearsome group that could force opponents to pare down their playbooks. They would clog run lanes and make it difficult for quarterbacks to have time to pass without keeping running backs and tight ends in to block.
Cornerback (2)
Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo) and Terrion Arnold (Alabama) are widely considered the top two corners available. Arnold was a ballhawk for the Crimson Tide, and Mitchell wowed Senior Bowl observers with his closing speed. Taking either would allow the Raiders to keep Nate Hobbs in the slot and continue to develop speedy, physical outside corner Jakorian Bennett at their own pace.
So there you have it: 23 impact players any of whom should elicit cheers from Raider Nation.
Whose name will be called? My bet’s on Mitchell, which would give the team, for so long so weak defensively, credible starters at every position on the unit.