The Las Vegas Raiders did not select a single offensive lineman during the 2023 NFL Draft. However, they were a lot closer than you think to using their top pick on an offensive tackle.
In a recent article by Peter King of NBC Sports, he wrote about his time in the war room of the Las Vegas on Day 1 of the NFL Draft. During his draft diary, King wrote about several trades the Raiders were monitoring including one with the Cardinals at No. 12.
The Raiders were in talks with the Arizona Cardinals about moving down from No. 7 to No. 12 to select Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison. Here is a snippet of how things went down according to King:
Having the 12th and 33rd overall picks, to go along with the Raiders’ 38th choice, would be tempting. “We could get [Oklahoma tackle Anton] Harrison at 12,” McDaniels said. The Raiders loved Harrison—not as much as Johnson, but enough maybe to lose the fourth non-QB they love in order to pick up the 33rd pick. They mulled.
The Raiders ultimately didn’t get the deal done because the Cardinals moved up with the Lions at No. 6 to select Paris Johnson Jr. So instead of trading back, the Raiders selected Texas Tech EDGE Tyree Wilson instead at No. 7. What a sliding door moment for the Raiders.
Harrison would have been a slight reach at No. 12 as he ended up going to Jacksonville at No. 27. But adding the No. 33 pick on top of No. 38 would have been interesting to watch. That would have given the Raiders three selections inside the top 40 picks, which is exactly what they needed.
However, it’s clear that the Raiders didn’t want to lose Tyree Wilson as they believe he can be a cornerstone of their defense. This is just a tiny peak of how quickly things can happen and change in an NFL draft room.
