Raiders 7-round NFL Mock Draft: Securing their franchise QB on Day 1

If you’ve ever watched a sitcom then you are familiar with the “will they or won’t they” concept where two characters seem to be romantically linked but it takes a few seasons for them to finally hook up. In the case of the Raiders and Michael Penix Jr., this budding romance appeared to have started when the star quarterback put on a show at Allegiant stadium in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Since then, legions of fans have made photoshops of Penix in a Raiders jersey and there have been many reports linking him to the Raiders at 13 or later in the first round with the Raiders trading up to grab him. As far as we know, Penix has not made any explicit statements about wanting to play for the Raiders but we think he would be happy to be drafted anywhere in the top 15 picks.

Some folks may say that drafting Penix at 13 could be a reach as he could be available later in the first round or even at the top of the second. The problem with that thinking is that all it takes is for one other team to fall in love with the young quarterback and draft him before the Raiders get another chance to with a later pick.

When it comes to the concept of reaching for a player in the draft, all that matters is that they perform well and end up being good players. If Penix is lighting it up for the Raiders for the next 5-10 years then no one will care where he was drafted and if the Raiders feel he is worth the gamble then they should just make the move and draft him 13th overall. So even though it is a gamble, which all draft picks are, we make the move and draft Penix with our first round pick in this mock.