Las Vegas Raiders officially hold the No. 7 overall pick in 2023 NFL Draft
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders struggled through a 6-11 2022 NFL season, and for their efforts, they will land the No. 7 overall pick next April.
When the Detroit Lions finished off the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, and eliminated them from the playoffs, the Las Vegas Raiders locked up the No. 7 overall pick next April. The 2023 NFL Draft will be here before you know it, and before that, we are going to get a great look at what the team needs will be for the Silver and Black going into the three-day event.
Holding the No. 7 overall pick, and four selections in the first 100 picks, Las Vegas has plenty of draft capital. They also hold a big trade chip in Derek Carr, who has a full no-trade clause, but may want to explore his options via a trade, and land with an organization he feels he can win with.
Whether or not the Silver and Black stay at No. 7 is also a big question, as they could move up even higher and potentially get their next franchise quarterback. This is where the fun begins, but after so many bad drafts led by Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock, hopefully the second go-around for David Ziegler and Josh McDaniels can yield some long-term talent.
Raiders have a lot of holes to fill this offseason
As we stated above, Las Vegas has plenty of draft needs, as both sides of the ball struggled to play consistent football all season long. Quarterback is going to be the position group that gets the most attention this offseason, but changes need to come along both lines, and especially on defense, where all three levels must be upgraded.
It remains to be seen whether or not the Silver and Black will bounce back in a big way in 2023, this after so many bad losses in 2022. If McDaniels hopes to keep his job, he has to prove he can win on a consistent basis, and he can start that process by absolutely nailing the 2023 NFL Draft.