During the final week leading up to the NFL Draft, nearly every mock draft had the Raiders selecting Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. at No. 13. That became one of the trendiest picks in the entire draft, but no one expected him to go No. 8 to the Falcons.
We know the Raiders were interested in Penix, but just how interested were they really? The answer probably depends on who you ask.
According to a recent ESPN article, they stated that the Raiders did not consider trading up for Penix, and it wasn’t even a given that they would take him at No. 13. After years of reaching the NFL Draft, the Raiders did not want to do that again in Round 1.
Las Vegas also had interest in Michael Penix Jr., but most likely not in a trade up. He would have been considered at No. 13 or in a trade back. I heard from multiple people in Vegas that the team did not want to reach.
The Raiders desperately want to find their next franchise quarterback, but they don’t want to “settle” either. Trading up for Penix never would have made sense and it would have cost them multiple starters (like Brock Bowers and Jackson Powers-Johnson) to acquire him.
Instead, the Raiders sat back and let the draft fall to them after the top three quarterbacks went off the board with the first three picks. It’s really hard to criticize the front office for that strategy, especially given their recent track record in the draft.
