The Raiders are in a tough spot. There’s no question they need a quarterback above all else. But sitting at 13 overall leaves them well out of range of the top three quarterbacks.
In Daniel Jeremiah’s first mock draft, the top three quarterback go 1-2-3.
1. Bears — Caleb Williams, QB, USC
2. Commanders — Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
3. Patriots — Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
That’s a full ten spots before the Raiders select, which would be a heck of a trade up to try and get one of these guys. So, from there they either have to hope a QB they like is there at 13, or go in another direction.
In Jeremiah’s mock, no other QB comes off the board in those nine picks before the Raiders selection at 13 overall. The next best QB could be Oregon’s Bo Nix, but Jeremiah has them passing on Nix and grabbing an OT instead.
Here are the next ten picks in Jeremiah’s mock draft:
4. Cardinals Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State
5. Chargers — Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
6. Giants — Malik Nabors, WR, LSU
7. Titans — Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
8. Falcons — Dallas Turner, ED, Alabama
9. Bears — Jared Verse, ED, Florida State
10. Jets — Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
11. Vikings — Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
12. Broncos — Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
13. Raiders — Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
Teams are split on Fashanu. After a dominant 2022 season, he took a step back in 2023. But the talent is still immense.
Any OT the Raiders draft would be to play right tackle as they are set with Kolton Miller at left tackle.
For what it’s worth, Jeremiah has Bo Nix off the board at 14 to the Saints, joining former Raiders QB Derek Carr should he still be in New Orleans next season.
Passing on a QB when you need one as badly as the Raiders do seems unwise. But, keep in mind, if the Bears take Caleb Williams with the first overall pick, that would mean Justin Fields is on the block, which could offer a decent option for the Raiders. Then if they’d like, they can look to take a QB perhaps in round two if a good one is still there.