Raiders mock draft: Las Vegas select national champion at No. 13 overall

As of today, the Las Vegas Raiders new general manager Tom Telesco will make his first selection in the 2024 NFL Draft at No. 13 overall. If you look across the internet, you will see that the pick could be at any position at this point, from offensive tackle, to cornerback, to even quarterback.

Last season, the Silver and Black had three different players start at quarterback, which is never a recipe for success. Finally, they landed on Aidan O'Connell to start the rest of the way after a loss to the Detroit Lions, and with that, the Raiders finally found a bit of success, going 5-4 down the stretch.

This offseason, with a new regime in place at general manager, the Raiders could look to once again flip the script at quarterback. All told, five different men have started at quarterback for the Raiders across the last two seasons, so there is definitely a need for stability at the position group going forward.

That leads us to the 2024 NFL Draft, and in a recent mock draft by Josh Edwards from CBS Sports, the Silver and Black add a national champion quarterback to their roster.

Raiders select JJ McCarthy at pick No. 13 overall

The pick for the Raiders in this mock draft is none other than J.J. McCarthy, who is fresh off leading the Michigan Wolverines to the national championship last season. McCarthy was outstanding for the Wolverines, throwing for 2,991 yards and 22 touchdowns against only four interceptions.

In fact, his 22 touchdown total matched his efforts in 2022, and across the two seasons, he threw only nine interceptions.

An undefeated season and national title at quarterback will cause some serious draft buzz, and McCarthy will look to parlay that into being a Day 1 pick. Most mock drafts have him going in the first round, but Raiders fans are hoping for a different quarterback in the first round, most notably Jayden Daniels from LSU.

If the Raiders wait until No. 13 to pick, Daniels will be long gone, but McCarthy could still be there, and would then battle with O'Connell for the starting job in Year 1.