With the Carolina Panthers trading up to No. 1, you can bet that quarterbacks will be picked with back-to-back pics to start the draft. And with the Colts drafting at No. 4, don’t be surprised if we get three quarterbacks off the board in the first four selections.
That’s a major problem for the Raiders as they pick at No. 7 and need to solve their quarterback issue. The likelihood of a quarterback falling to them at No. 7 seems to be decreasing by the day. And the odds of the “right” quarterback falling to them are even lower.
In a recent mock draft by The Athletic, they had four quarterbacks going off the board in the first four picks of the draft. That means the Raiders had to settle for a positional player. This time, it was DE Tyree Wilson from Texas Tech. Here is what Ben Standig had to say about this scenario for the Raiders:
Not the ideal board for a team that many see drafting a quarterback after releasing Derek Carr. Edge rusher isn’t a primary concern with Maxx Crosby around, but finding a tag-team partner remains a consideration after Chandler Jones’ unimpressive 2022 season. Wilson might go top five if the QB run doesn’t materialize.
This really would be among the worst-case scenarios for the Raiders. Not only do they miss out on all four quarterbacks, but they also miss out on Will Anderson and Christian Gonzalez. The good news is that Georgia DT Jalen Carter was available at No. 7 and that might be a risk worth taking for the Raiders given their need at defensive tackle.
Wilson isn’t a bad player, but he doesn’t move the needle much for a team that needs to add impact players at quarterback, defensive tackle, and cornerback. If this scenario played out for the Raiders, it’s hard to envision a worse outcome for them during the 2023 NFL Draft.
