Las Vegas Raiders – Syndication Server

Which player would be the best value pick at No. 13 for Raiders?

One of the toughest parts about the NFL Draft is weighing need versus value. Over the last several years, we’ve seen the Raiders put an emphasis on need instead of value. And unfortunately, they don’t have a lot to show for it.

But with new GM Tom Telesco, the Raiders could be changing their approach to drafting. Instead of reaching for need, they might just sit back and take the best players that are available. So what player(s) could represent the biggest value for the Raiders in Round 1?

In a recent article by Matt Miller of ESPN, he wrote that Oregon State RT Taliese Fuaga would be the best value pick that the Raiders could make at No. 13. Here is his reasoning behind that statement:

We agree on the position but not the player. Fuaga is No. 12 on my board, and I think he is the best right tackle in the 2024 class, even above Latham. He’s an elite run-blocker and has serious power.

Fuaga is widely viewed as the best right tackle in this class and he has the flexibility to play guard, if needed. Luckily for the Raiders, they have a need at right tackle, so this would accomplish both goals of addressing a position of weakness and getting value in the draft.

Fuaga is likely to be on the short list of names that the Raiders consider in Round 1 next Thursday night.

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NFL insider believes Raiders could select Michael Penix Jr. at No. 13

There has been a lot of buzz over the last few weeks that the Raiders could select Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. at some point during the NFL Draft. Apparently, the Raiders are set on adding a quarterback and they believe he could be the best fit in Luke Getsy’s offense.

But the latest rumor is that the Raiders might even consider selecting him at No. 13. That would mean that five quarterbacks would be off the board in the draft’s first 13 selections. Vic Tafur of The Athletic first reported this, but he isn’t the only one signing this song.

In a recent article by Matt Miller of ESPN, he wrote about Penix to the Raiders at No. 13. Here is why he believes that it could happen next Thursday night:

One constant I keep hearing from people I trust is that the Raiders really do like Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and could select him at No. 13 overall. That would qualify as a surprise, despite the fact that Penix is a beautiful thrower from the pocket and has the best overall arm strength in this class.

His medical history — four straight season-ending injuries while at Indiana — and his lack of mobility are concerns enough that he is ranked No. 40 on my board and is generally seen as a Day 2 prospect, but the buzz here is starting to heat up connecting the Raiders to him in Round 1. Las Vegas signed Gardner Minshew, but this team was 26th in QBR last season (40.1) and needs a long-term solution.

If the Raiders believe Penix can be a franchise quarterback, then there is no spot in Round 1 that is too high for him. However, the consensus is that he is more of a second-round pick, rather than a top-16 selection. Still, it is interesting to hear how much the Raiders are interested in the former Pac-12 star.

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Raiders Draft Radar: Top cornerback fits by round

It seems like every year the Raiders head into the draft with a need at the cornerback position. This year is no exception. While they had Nate Hobbs locking down the slot, the boundaries were a revolving door of cornerbacks that is still not …

From the looks of things, Jack Jones is the answer on one side, but the other side is very much in need of an influx of talent. The team flat out ignored the position in free agency, leaving them in the same situation today.

Though it’s hard to really blame them for being skeptical that free agency would solve anything. Last year, they signed two cornerbacks early in free agency (David Long Jr and Duke Shelley) and then Marcus Peters just before camp and none of them were on the team by the end of last season.

They also drafted Jakorian Bennett in the fourth round and he was benched after four starts. So, now they must take another shot at it and you would figure that would happen by the end of day two. Perhaps more than once.

Could Tulane QB Michael Pratt be a late-round option for Raiders?

Tulane QB Michael Pratt be a late-round option for Raiders

The Raiders selected a quarterback on Day 3 of the NFL Draft last year, and Aidan O’Connell went on to lead the team in passing yards and touchdowns. He was the team’s starting quarterback for most of the season, but his future is still in limbo.

Could the Raiders select another Day 3 quarterback again this year to compete with O’Connell and Gardner Minshew? It’s certainly possible, especially if they strike out in Round 1.

One potential option for the Raiders on Day 3 is Tulane QB Michael Pratt, who has a ton of experience and was incredibly productive over the last two seasons. Here is a snippet of why Pro Football Focus believes he could work out in the NFL:

Pratt’s footwork needs improvement, as he sometimes gets flat-footed in the pocket, leading to inconsistent mechanics. There will also be questions about his ability to carry a team consistently. His supporting cast — especially his offensive line — eroded in 2023, and his performance wasn’t as stellar as the year before. Pratt certainly has nice tools, and his experience under center is a plus. He could be a viable starting option after a bit of development.

While Pratt does need to improve his overall technique, there is a lot to like about his game. He averaged over 8.5 yards per attempt over the last two seasons and threw a combined 45 touchdowns to just 10 touchdowns.

It’s never a bad idea to continue to throw darts at the QB position and Pratt is one of the more intriguing Day 3 options in this class.

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The latest 2024 NFL mock draft from The Athletic has the Raiders trading up for Michael Penix Jr.

This makes a lot of sense.

We’ve seen NFL mock drafts with Michael Penix Jr. either as a first-rounder or somewhere in the second round.

There’s a middle ground of sorts — he could be a low first-rounder or a high second-rounder given all of his upside. In our latest NFL mock draft from Christian D’Andrea, he’s got Penix to the New York Giants at pick No. 27 in the second round. But in a 7-round mock from The Athletic, Dane Brugler has Penix going to the Las Vegas Raiders with a trade up to pick No. 30 in the first.

Here’s his take on why that makes sense.

According to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, “the whispers are getting louder” that the Raiders might draft Penix at No. 13. But this scenario feels like the better option, even if it means parting with a pair of Day 2 draft picks. A polarizing player among NFL front offices, Penix is an aggressive downfield passer with the mental toughness that will certainly stand out for Pierce and his staff.

There you have it! Make sure to check out our latest two-round mock draft from Christian D’Andrea, along with the current NFL draft order for Round 1.

Should the Raiders wait another year to address quarterback need?

Sitting at pick No. 13, the Raiders are likely to miss out on the top four quarterback prospects. There has been some building buzz that the Raiders could select Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. at that spot, but that seems entirely too early for a quarterback with his injury history.

So if the Raiders don’t take a quarterback in Round 1, should they consider “punting” on the position until next year? That is what Pro Football Focus suggested in a recent piece on the Raiders. Here is a snippet of what they had to say about Las Vegas entering the 2024 NFL Draft:

The rebuild in Las Vegas is unlikely to be completed in a single season, so the Raiders are probably doing the right thing in heading into 2024 with Aidan O’Connell as their starting quarterback. The 2023 fourth-round draft pick out of Purdue made enough plays down the stretch on his way to a 65.9 PFF grade that the Raiders can wait and see who falls in the first three rounds before deciding if they need to add to the position this year.

The Raiders have other big needs on their roster, including offensive tackle and cornerback. They could easily address those needs with their top two picks and “pass” on a quarterback until next year. While that strategy is less than ideal, it seems plausible if Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco don’t want to force a pick at QB.

As PFF mentioned, O’Connell had a nice rookie season despite all the turmoil. But just how much do the Raiders trust him moving forward? The NFL Draft is just a week away. And we still have no idea what the Raiders are planning to do at quarterback.

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Raiders Draft Radar: Top guard fits by round

Guard has been and continues to be a major need for the Raiders. And while it may not be a position they address in the first round, they probably shouldn’t wait around for scraps as they need a prospect capable of being a day one starter at right …

They recently signed former Bears guard Cody Whitehair, and while he adds experience and scheme familiarity, he isn’t considered the answer at the position. At least not to the extent they can call it a day and shift to addressing other positions.

So, let’s take a look at five guards who could be in play for the Raiders and where they might consider drafting them.

Zak Zinter

How Raiders legends Jim Plunkett, Marshawn Lynch came to star in episode of Lopez vs Lopez

We spoke with the casting director for NBC’s Lopez vs Lopez about how it came to be Raiders legends Jim Plunkett, Marshawn Lynch starred in this week’s episode

If you are a fan of the Raiders and of comedy, you are going to want to head over to NBC or peacock to check out this week’s episode of Lopez vs Lopez. Because this week it’s LOPEZ VS RAIDER NATION!

Raiders legends Jim Plunkett and Marshawn Lynch star in the newest episode and you know wherever Marshawn goes, hilarity ensues. All that and Plunk too? Whaaaat?

I was intrigued by how such a thing came together, so I reached out to casting director G Charles Wright to give me the details. In the words of George Lopez himself ‘What had happened was…’

“Al Madrigal – one of our actors who plays Oscar – is a Raiders fan,” said Wright. “He showed some interest in wanting to do something that involved the Raiders.”

For that matter, George Lopez himself is well known as a Raiders fan. He’s been seen many times on the sidelines during games in his Raiders gear and even lit the Al Davis torch before a game in Oakland back in 2017.

With the Raiders fan connection well established, from there it was about figuring out who would be on the show. The first answer quickly presented itself.

You see, George Lopez is good friends with Marshawn Lynch aka Beast Mode who is an Oakland native and finished his NFL career for his now former hometown Raiders in 2017-18.

“The writers reached out to me and said ‘can we get Marshawn to play himself,’ Wright continued. “So I pitched the idea to his agent and his manager to have him appear as himself. . . And we talked about it, talked about what we wanted to do on the episode. Went over all that stuff with him, talked about how comfortable he is playing himself and what he’s comfortable doing and not comfortable doing. And worked an episode around that.”

This is where Plunk comes in…

“That all gets set and then Al Madrigal was at a Raiders game with his friends the Plunketts and he’s telling Jim’s daughter Meghan about Marshawn being on the show. And Jim says ‘That’s amazing, could I be on the show? Do you think they’d let me be on the show too? I don’t even have to get paid, I could just be an extra.’

“And Al brought that news to my writers and my writers reached out to me and said ‘Hey, we hear Jim Plunkett would like to do this and he doesn’t even want to be paid.’ And then I had to tell the writers that ‘Um, everybody has to be paid.’

“I worked out a deal with them and my writers wrote him in. As soon as we heard Jim wanted to do the show they figured out a role for him.”

It’s always crazy to think a show can come together like this. In much the same way a coach designs his scheme around his best players; something Marshawn and Plunk experienced firsthand in their legendary careers, with both being the centerpiece of their team’s offense on the way to championships.

With the two of them on the roster, I mean in the cast, it was time to put it on the field. Er, set, rather.

“Marshawn came in, Jim came in,” Wright said. “They flew in, we put them up at the same hotel, they hung out all day, they took the same private shuttle van from their hotel to the set. And just had a blast together all day during the show and signing autographs with our cast and crew and taking photos with them. It was great. . . Jim had never done anything like this before so it was all new to him and he really had a blast. . . And Jim got his SAG card!”

Chalk up another accomplishment for Jim Plunkett as he is now a member of the Screen Actors Guild.

Though many believe there is still one accomplishment eluding the two-time Super Bowl winning QB. And you can best believe that made its way into the show. As Wright noted “They even made a joke in the script about how Plunkett should be in the Hall of Fame.”

The most recent episode of Lopez vs Lopez aired Tuesday night on NBC and is now also streaming on the Peacock app.

Raiders legend Tim Brown on playing Chiefs: ‘Kansas City had some of the smartest fans in the game’

Hall of Fame WR Tim Brown told #Chiefs Wire that “Kansas City had some of the smartest fans in the game” during his time with the #Raiders

The Kansas City Chiefs have faced their share of Hall of Fame opponents over the years, but perhaps none were more difficult to handle than then-Oakland and Los Angeles Raider receiver Tim Brown.

Brown, who recently sat down with Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. for a lengthy interview, recounted his time playing against Kansas City during his time with the Raiders.

While the noise factor at Arrowhead Stadium noise is often discussed as the ultimate home-field advantage, Brown was one of many visiting players who felt the crushing weight of 100-plus decibels first hand.

“I’m on record as saying over the years that I’ve always thought that Kansas City had some of the smartest fans in the game,” Brown explained to Easton. “They knew when to cheer and when not to cheer, and when something came on board for everybody gonna get quiet. They all got quiet, and at the same time, you look at that stadium. It’s an old school stadium where they’re pretty close to you.

“It’s one of the only places that I played that I would tape up my earhole of the helmet, just to try and cut back on some of that noise you hear. That fan base is incredible, man; they’re getting rewarded for a whole bunch of work that the boys did back in the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s because they deserve what they’re getting. And it’s a beautiful thing for it to happen. At the same time, my Raiders fans and boys need some love, too. So, I’m hoping that our boys can certainly help us out.”

The now-Las Vegas Raiders have the advantage of playing in a dome to amplify their crowd’s roars, but to hear Brown tell it, nothing can compare to the deafening sound of tens of thousands of Kansas Citians on their feet for a rivalry matchup.

Raiders add star defender and franchise QB in latest NFL mock draft

The Raiders would love to address two of their top three biggest needs early in the NFL Draft. Those needs are QB, RT, and CB. It’s unlikely that they will find quality players at all three spots, but is it possible to address two of those needs early?

In a recent 7-round mock draft done by Dane Brugler of The Athletic, the Raiders stood tall at pick No. 13 and selected Alabama CB Terrion Arnold. And then later in Round 1, they traded up for Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. Here is the full haul for the Raiders via Brugler:

1 (13). Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
1 (29). Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
4 (112). Braelon Allen, RB, Wisconsin
5 (148). Jamari Thrash, WR, Louisville
6 (208). Walter Rouse, OT, Stanford
7 (223). Layden Robinson, G, Texas A&M
7 (229). Evan Anderson, DT, FAU

If the Raiders are able to leave the 2024 NFL Draft with a No. 1 cornerback and a potential franchise QB, it would be a home-run draft for new GM Tom Telsco. Plus, the addition of Braelon Allen would give them another physical back to pair with Zamir White.

Who knows if this draft is possible for the Raiders, but we will find out in a week. Expect the Raiders to be highly aggressive during Day 1 and Day 2 of the draft.

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