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.
