2023 NFL Mock Draft: Could the Las Vegas Raiders get to No. 1 overall?
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but one recent mock draft has them trading up for the No. 1 selection.
With the Senior Bowl wrapping up, draft season is in full effect, and this is a very important draft for the Las Vegas Raiders. Coming off a six-win season in 2022, big changes are coming within the organization, including at quarterback, where they will move on from Derek Carr after nine seasons as the starter.
That has made the quarterback position front and center in terms of this offseason, as the team has been rumored to be going after a veteran to bring in to replace Carr or even a rookie in the draft. The big name that has been floating over the last few days is Aaron Rodgers, but some feel the team could send a bunch of draft capital to the Chicago Bears to move up in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Raiders trade up to take CJ Stroud in latest mock
Over at NFL Mocks, Jacob Schyvinck has the Silver and Black actually moving up to get the No. 1 overall pick from the Chicago Bears. In this scenario, the Raiders sent a ton of draft capital to the Bears, including the No. 7 and 38 overall picks in 2023, as well as their first and second-round picks in 2024.
With the No. 1 pick, the team then goes and drafts Ohio State star CJ Stroud, bringing him in to be their new franchise quarterback. Stroud is an outstanding talent and did some great things with the Buckeyes, but it is not like in years past when there was an unquestioned No. 1 quarterback prospect in the draft.
In fact, some believe Bryce Young is the best out there, and others feel that players like Will Levis or Anthony Richardson have a higher ceiling than Stroud. I could see trading up next year, where the quarterback talent pool is much deeper, but sending your top four draft picks across the next two drafts does not make much sense for a team that needs to improve in so many areas.
Interestingly enough, in our latest 7-round mock draft, Stroud actually falls to Las Vegas at No. 7 overall, so they get him without mortgaging all of their high draft picks across the next two years. That would be a best-case scenario for Las Vegas if they are all-in on Stroud, but if they stay at No. 7, a defensive player, or offensive lineman is the likely scenario.