The Las Vegas Raiders have plenty of needs heading into Day 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft, but are they leaning away from taking a QB?
For the Las Vegas Raiders, the 2023 NFL Draft cannot come fast enough, as they hold a ton of draft capital, including four of the first 100 picks this April. Second-year general manager David Ziegler has enough picks to really improve the Raiders roster going into the 2023 NFL season, but what does he plan to do with selection No. 7 overall?
Last year, Las Vegas did not pick until the 90th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, a pick they used on Memphis interior offensive lineman, Dylan Parham. A year later, help is still needed on the interior of the offensive line, as well as in all three levels of the defense, so why would Las Vegas go quarterback on Day 1?
Recently, a piece was put out by ESPN (subscription required) that said Las Vegas will likely be looking to go defense in the first round, keeping their eyes on cornerbacks like Devon Witherspoon, Joey Porter Jr., and of course, Christian Gonzalez. That would make much more sense at pick No. 7, because Las Vegas is likely to miss out on Bryce Young and CJ Stroud there, and should focus their attention elsewhere.
Leaving Raiders a 'breath of fresh air' for Waller
Tight end Darren Waller signed a massive extension this past season, and many felt that he would be a cornerstone player for the Raiders franchise for years to come. However, that lasted about six month, as Waller was traded to the New York Giants for the No. 100 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft back in March.
Recently, Jordan Ranaan from ESPN put together a piece on how quickly it deteriorated for Waller with the new regime in Las Vegas, a piece that had a source close to the star tight end stating it was a 'breath of fresh air' to be traded. Waller, had some issues with the new regime when it came time to get his new deal together according to the piece, eventually leading to the trade.
In New York, Waller is likely to be the No. 1 option for quarterback Daniel Jones in the passing game, and likely to put together a monster season in the Big Apple. For Las Vegas, they will try to replace him with a combination of Austin Hooper and OJ Howard, solid players, but not close to the talent they are losing at the position group.