Armed with the seventh overall pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders have a number of ways they could go when the time comes for them to make a selection. With many holes on the roster, particularly on the defensive end, it would make sense for the Raiders to look on that side of the ball with their top pick.
Many of the team’s biggest moves so far this offseason have focused on the offensive end, particularly the signing of Jimmy Garoppolo to be the team’s new quarterback with a three-year deal. But even with that move, there apparently remains a possibility that the Raiders not only could still pick a quarterback with their top pick but could move up in the draft to do so.
In an appearance on the Up and Adams Show with Kay Adams, Your Boy Q of the Las Vegas Sports Network, the Raiders could consider moving up to the third overall pick if either of the top two quarterback prospects, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young, are still available:
.@YourboyQ254 says “there is a real possibility” that the Raiders will make the jump to the third pick for a quarterback IF…⁰⁰📺: @FanDuelTV | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/7VfVNWTCz9
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) April 10, 2023
Though Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis are both expected to be first-round picks as well at the quarterback position, it is widely believed that Stroud and Young are a level above. As is normally the case with top prospects at that position, they begin to rise and more often than not, are selected with the top picks.
That is expected to be the case this year with the Carolina Panthers trading for the top overall pick and the QB-needy Texans holding the second pick. The question is whether it would be wise for the Raiders to make such a move should one of them actually fall to 3.
The Raiders have already met with Young so they should at least have some idea of whether he would be an ideal fit for the franchise. Even though the team signed Garoppolo, he is not a long-term answer at the position, and having that franchise quarterback is vital for success in the NFL today. The likelihood of Young or Stroud actually being there at the third pick remains extremely slim, but if it happens the Raiders must at least consider the move if they feel their future is there to be selected.
