Sitting at pick 13, the Raiders were in a precarious position considering their need at quarterback. There were six quarterbacks who were considering worthy of a first round pick and all six of them were gone by the 12th pick.
When looking at scenarios pre-draft, this always seemed like a distinct possibility considering the needs of the teams ahead of them. It was the Falcons taking Michael Penix that seemed to shake things up, but there’s no guarantee that had they passed on Penix that another team wouldn’t have taken him or even jumped up ahead of the Raiders to take him.
The result was the Raiders were the only QB-needy team left without a chair when the music stopped, prompting them to take the best player available in tight end Brock Bowers.
This isn’t to say there is literally no decent quarterback talent left in this draft. Just none that were deemed worthy of a first round pick. Or, in some views, not even worthy of a second round pick.
It would not be good if the Raiders get through this draft without adding some young competition to the quarterback room to go with former fourth round pick Aidan O’Connell and journeyman free agent acquisition Gardner Minshew.
The question is when they decide to pull the trigger on getting that quarterback.
The next highest rated quarterback in this draft is South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler, who draft analyst Dane Brugler gives a third round grade and the consensus big board has as the 93rd overall prospect, which is late third round.
Brugler describes Rattler as an “Aesthetically pleasing passer with his fluid release and impressive arm talent” but points to the interview process as the key to how teams will view him.
If the Raiders go strictly on value on the board, they might wait to consider taking Rattler until their pick at 77 overall in the third round. But with this being the quarterback position, would they ignore his place on draft boards — that is to say if they even agree with these boards — and take him at 44? We are talking about quarterback, after all. Which if what happened at the top of the draft is any indication, it should be (and is) treated differently than other positions.
Keep in mind, there were reports the Giants, Saints, and Seahawks were among teams looking at adding a quarterback in this draft as well, so the Raiders could have some competition.
Let’s say the Raiders go with board value (again) and pass on Rattler at 44. And let’s say another team takes him before they’re up at 77. What then?
Well, after Rattler, there appears to be another dropoff at quarterback. With only Tulane’s Michael Pratt rated as a borderline Day two pick. Brugler has him as a Round 3-4 talent and the consensus big board has him at 127 (4th round). The Raiders next pick after 77 is 112 in the 4th round.
The next tier consists of Kentucky’s Devin Leary, Tennessee’s Joe Milton III, and Florida State’s Jordan Travis — all of whom are considered at best Round five prospects. But, again, who could possibly go at least a round higher based on the fact that they play the most premium position in football.
For those counting along at home, that’s just five quarterbacks left in this draft deemed worthy of a pick ahead of the sixth round. So, yeah, not much depth left, which isn’t all that surprising considering the crowd at the top of the draft.
If you’re the Raiders, it would somewhere between unwise and downright irresponsible not to take a quarterback in this draft. And it could be very risky to wait until Day three to consider taking one. We’ll see how the draft plays out and see if we have to revisit this conversation tomorrow.