Should the Las Vegas Raiders prioritize the QB position on Day 1?

The Las Vegas Raiders revamped their quarterback room in a big way for the second offseason in a row, releasing Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer. For years, Derek Carr was the unquestioned starting quarterback for the Silver and Black, but all of that changed during the 2022 NFL season.

Since then, Las Vegas has started four different quarterbacks, and while Aidan O'Connell played well down the stretch, many feel he is more suited in a backup role. Las Vegas did bring in Gardner Minshew II this offseason in hopes of competing with O'Connell for the starting job, but with less than a week to go until the 2024 NFL Draft, all eyes are still on the position group.

In some draft years, quarterback-needy teams are not always stacked atop the first round draft order, but this year, that is certainly the case. All three teams picking first need to reset the position group, while many other top-10 picks, also belong to QB-needy teams.

For the Raiders, they can do one of two things on Day 1, and that is either prioritize the QB position, or wait until Day 2 to address it. Holding the No. 13 overall pick, the Raiders will have a hard time getting the top-3 quarterbacks in this year's draft class, but JJ McCarthy, Bo Nix, and Michael Penix Jr. are all projected to go in the top-40 or so selections.

Raiders being linked to Michael Penix Jr.

As we inch closer to the NFL Draft, one name that seems to be standing out in terms of the Raiders is Michael Penix Jr. He is coming off a terrific season with the Washington Huskies, but injury issues in college have hurt his draft status as a lock to go in the first round.

If the Raiders like Penix, they could go with another position group at No. 13, and then try to trade back into the first round. However, they could also get nervous that Penix could go after No. 13, and decide to pick him at No. 13, and figure out their others needs down the road.

New general manager Tom Telesco is going to be heavily scrutinized by what he does in the first round, and if quarterback is the No. 1 priority, we could see a lot of movement from the Silver and Black on Day 1.