2023 NFL Draft: Raiders trading back the best decision in Round 1?
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but trading back in the first round may be their best decision.
It is officially draft season, and for the first time since 2019, the Las Vegas Raiders hold a top-10 pick. Of course, history would suggest that this is a terrible place for the Silver and Black to be, as the franchise has not produced a player worthy of being taken that high since Khalil Mack back in 2014.
That was the same draft the team took Derek Carr on Day 2, and with Carr being shown the door this offseason, many in Raider Nation are clamoring for the team to trade up and select a quarterback. While the likes of CJ Stroud and Bryce Young are enticing, as both are playmaking quarterbacks who enjoyed a ton of success at the collegiate level, are they really worth mortgaging the future for.
In a perfect world, Las Vegas would trade up for Stroud or Young and they would become stars, showing the world that David Ziegler and his staff were right to do so. But this is the Raiders, and after winning only six games last season, sending a host of picks and assets to the teams in front of them to secure a top 3 pick could set them back for years if Stroud or Young do not work out.
For Las Vegas, the trick may be to trade back in the first round, get out of the top 10, and find a partner who will give them even more draft assets for Ziegler to work with.
Raiders have more than one issue to fix this draft season
Having the seventh overall pick should enable the Raiders to bring in a Day 1 starter if Ziegler gets it right, but remember, he did not have a first or second-round pick last year. This will be the first time he is under the pressure of selecting this early on Day 1, a pressure he has likely never felt before in his life.
There are teams behind the Raiders with issues at the quarterback spot, including Carolina, the New York Jets, and Tampa Bay. Las Vegas could get a nice package from any of those teams that may want to trade up, landing later picks on Day 1, giving Ziegler some time to breathe, and still finding a rookie starter across the first 31 picks.
When all is said and done, Richardson could fall out of the top 10 picks, and the Raiders could be waiting with open arms later in the first round. That would enable them to add more talent, get a quarterback for the future, and still bring in enough assets to make this team a winner in 2023.