It's peak Mock Draft SZN, and with the NFL Draft about a month away, it's only going to get worse ... or better, depending on you feel about teams reaching for QB4-QB6. After the Jimmy Garoppolo era came to an unceremonious end earlier this month, the Raiders have, apparently, made the decision to go into next season with either Aidan O'Connell or Gardner Minshew, the latter of which they gave a two-year, $25 million contract.
It's not exactly the most inspiring QB room in the NFL, and the absence of any proven vet or exciting young player lends to speculation that Las Vegas isn't done addressing that group yet. NFL.com seems to agree, too: in their latest mock draft, published on the site this morning, has the Raiders taking an accomplished QB with their first round pick, the 13th overall. And considering that some had projected them to trade up for one of the Caleb Williams-Drake Maye-Jayden Daniels trio, maybe Raiders fans can consider it a win that they don't mortgage their future to give it a shot? Right? No? Well, here's what NFL.com thinks will happen:
Raiders 1.13: Michael Penix, QB, Washington
The Raiders signed Gardner Minshew to compete against Aidan O’Connell. However, I don’t think those two quarterbacks have the ceiling that Penix does in the NFL. There’s an assumption that Penix is more of a second-rounder, but I believe his skill set is a unique fit for the Raiders’ style of play.
It's certainly an interesting idea. Penix's college career speaks for itself, and he enters this year's draft as one of the most accurate passers available. Injuries were something of a concern, but the Washington QB's medicals apparently checked out totally fine at the combine. And considering the other places on the roster where taking the best player available would make sense, drafting and stashing a QB with the 13th overall pick seems a little risky, but also, that's the NFL Draft in a nutshell. It'd certainly be an interesting start to the Tom Telesco-Antonio Pierce era.