The prevailing belief in NFL circles is that the Raiders will select a quarterback at some point during the first two rounds of the draft. Whether that be a trade-up for J.J. McCarthy or a trade-down for Michael Penix Jr., it’s hard to see the Raiders not selecting a quarterback at some point.
However, that wasn’t the case in Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft for ESPN. In his mock, he had the Raiders selecting Oregon State RT Taliese Fuaga at No. 13 and then Ennis Rakestraw (Missouri) in Round 2. Here is what he had to say about the selection of Fuaga in Round 1:
Las Vegas could be another team to watch for the edge rushers, but I don’t think it can ignore its void at right tackle, particularly in this great class. Fuaga, one of my favorite prospects in this draft, is a punishing blocker who plays with nastiness.
He allowed just one sack over the past two seasons while playing right tackle for the Beavers. He and veteran Kolton Miller would make a solid duo of bookends. Cornerback is the other position I considered for the Raiders, with Terrion Arnold (Alabama) likely to go in this range.
Fuaga would be a home-run pick for the Raiders at No. 13 as he fills their right tackle need and gives them some physicality in the run game. Rakestraw is a physical cornerback who projects as a No. 2 CB down the road.
But it is hard to envision the Raiders not getting a quarterback early. Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell are fine stop-gap options, but this would mean that the Raiders would enter the 2024 season with arguably the worst quarterback situation in the AFC.
