Questionable Call: Raiders 5-round mock draft pushes chips in on Aidan O'Connell

Things have not gone ideally for this year's Las Vegas Raiders. It's been more chaos than calm thus far, but interim head coach Antonio Pierce has done an admirable job helping quiet the storm and getting his locker room back in order after Josh McDaniels was let go.

The quarterback position has been anything but consistent this year between Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer and rookie Aidan O'Connell, but the Raiders are trying to move forward nonetheless.

Currently, Las Vegas has the no. 11 pick in next year's draft, which means they would miss out on Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. At this point, why not see what they have in Aidan O'Connell if they were able to surround him with more talent and build on both sides of the ball?

In Week 12, O'Connell had one of his better games of the season in a loss to the Chiefs, throwing for 248 yards, a touchdown and no picks. Maybe, just maybe, they've got something in him.

In this mock draft, the Raiders stick with Aidan O'Connell for 2024

Kicking things off in the first round, the Raiders look to pair Maxx Crosby with another top-tier edge rusher in Florida State's Jared Verse. Sure, they've got Tyree Wilson as well, but Wilson has been coming along slowly in his rookie season, playing just 40 percent of snaps thus far and totaling 1.5 sacks on the year.

At no. 11, Verse is a heck of a value. There are some that see him going in the top 10, and he very well could. But for now, Verse gives the Raiders a trio of pass rushers that could wind up wreaking havoc on the rest of the AFC West for years to come.

Verse stands 6-foot-4 and weighs right around 250 pounds. He is extremely quick off the line and has the athleticism and speed to make his way around opposing tackles in a hurry. He's also got the power to match his athleticism, being able to bull rush when he needs to. Verse is the perfect combination of strength and speed.