Mailbag: Who would be the Raiders best option at quarterback in second round or later?

Returning Raider Nation’s questions with less than one week until the NFL Draft!

We are less than one week away from the start of the 2024 NFL Draft and the Las Vegas Raiders being on the clock! All of the rumors and speculation will finally be over as we start getting some answers. Speaking of answers, let’s get to this week’s mailbag!

A: It would depend on where Bo Nix falls too, but if Michael Penix Jr. or Nix aren’t the pick at 13 and neither is available in the second round or later — and the latter seems likely — then Spencer Rattler would be my choice.

However, I think they would take Rattler in the second round rather than waiting and hoping he’d be available in the third. If the Raiders miss out on the first wave of quarterbacks, I don’t think they’d want to risk getting left empty-handed again. Also, Rattler is from Arizona and was recruited by Antonio Pierce in high school, so they have a pre-existing relationship of sorts, for whatever that’s worth.

Question: Do you think the Raiders would draft Byron Murphy II at 13? Because I think seven quarterbacks will be drafted in the first round.

A: After signing Christian Wilkins, I’d be surprised if they drafted Murphy in the first round since they play the same position. Las Vegas could definitely get squeezed out of taking a quarterback, but I think they will still look to get someone who can be an immediate starter.

Granted, they did bring in the former Longhorn for a Top 30 visit, but the Raiders don’t need a 3-technique with Wilkins. They could draft a defensive tackle next weekend, but it’d likely be closer to the middle rounds to add some depth.

A: 1) I can’t speak for everyone at the site, but I stick to NFL Network for the draft coverage. I was a big fan of Mike Mayock back in the day, and I’m a fan of Daniel Jeremiah so I like getting his insights and thoughts on prospects.

2) Not much. From what I understand, Mark Davis doesn’t get involved in the football decisions very much and lets the people that he’s hired do their thing. He’s talked about how he’s different from his dad and doesn’t have the eye for talent like Al did back in the day. Mark is a much more hands-off owner than Al was on the football side of things.

A: They’ll make a call but it’s going to cost them at least three first-round picks and then maybe a mid-rounder or two. I’ve mentioned this a few times but the problem is Minnesota. The Vikings have two first-round picks this year that they can give up and one of them is ahead of where the Raiders are drafting, so the Raiders will have to pay a premium.

A: Chances are pretty low. I think Las Vegas will draft a receiver at some point since the position group needs some depth, but probably not before the third round. The people in the building think they can win now, so they’re looking to fill holes with rookies who can contribute right away rather than add talent to an already talented position group. Next year is when I would expect them to go after a big-name receiver in the draft to find the long-term solution for Davante Adams.

A: Similar question here. I’d be surprised if the 13th pick wasn’t one of those three positions. In addition to those being the biggest needs, the top of the draft board is full of quarterbacks, offensive linemen and corners, in addition to wide receivers.

Again, I wouldn’t expect Las Vegas to target a wideout early on, and the front office will have plenty of options at positions of need that won’t be a reach talent-wise. The top of the draft board lines up pretty nicely for the Raiders this year.

A: I’ve been pounding the drum for Penix over Nix for the last couple of months, so that’s not what I’d like to see. But if Penix gets taken by say Denver, then Nix at 13 wouldn’t be terrible, but he doesn’t move the needle much for me.

A: I think Nix has more arm strength than people have given him credit for, but he has the weakest arm of the top six quarterbacks. Post-snap reads are my biggest concern with him. At Auburn, he made a lot of terrible decisions when working off his first read and Oregon solved that issue by giving him a lot of one-read concepts like screens. Nix still struggles to see the field and work through progressions, and I have a hard time thinking that will get better since it is still an issue after he was a five-year starter in college.

A: Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Jayden Daniels, Bryce Young, J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix, Will Levis, and Bo Nix.

There are lots of good quarterbacks in that list overall though. I think we’ve been spoiled with good quarterback prospects over the last two years which, typically, means we are due for a down class next year. The draft is cyclical like that where if we get a wave of good players at a position in back-to-back years, the talent pool dries up a bit in that third year, generally speaking.

A: Yeah, I saw that and have a hard time believing it’s true. The Raiders have talked all offseason about at least bringing in competition for Aidan O’Connell. If they or anyone in the building thinks he’d be the second-best quarterback behind Caleb Williams, they’d say that publically to instill confidence in O’Connell. He’s a third-round pick in this year’s class to me, and I might even slate him behind Rattler.

Granted, evaluating football, and especially draft prospects, is subjective and opinions can vary. So maybe four scouts think that highly of O’Connell, but I don’t think they punch the clock at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center in Henderson, Nevada.

A: My prediction is that T’Vondre Sweat is this year’s “How is that guy still available?” Granted, we know why but what I mean is I think he’s in for a big slide on draft weekend.

There were concerns about Sweat before his recent DWI arrest, one of them being that he’s a party animal and he confirmed that with this incident. Also, there are questions about his work ethic and weight. To me, and I wouldn’t be surprised if NFL teams think along the same lines, him getting arrested weeks away from getting drafted signals that he’s not taking this process seriously and it doesn’t mean that much to him.

In my mind, if you’re weeks away from getting drafted and you can’t wait until after to go out and party, then how can I trust you to stay out of trouble when you get paid and aren’t in the middle of the biggest interview of your life?

Jalen Carter’s situation was a little different. While he made a bad/stupid decision too, he was never charged with a DWI which I think makes a big difference. I never bought the work ethic issues with Carter, especially since his teammates were vocal in saying those rumors weren’t true.

Carter made a bad mistake, but there were far fewer concerns with him than there are with Sweat.

A: I know Raiders fans are scarred from drafting cornerbacks in the first round, but you have to evaluate the player, not the organization’s history at the position. I’d be really happy if they got one of the top corners at 13, especially Terrion Arnold, and I like the group of second-round tackles more than the cornerbacks. So, I think they’d have a better chance at getting a quality tackle on Day 2.

Granted, if the quarterback the Raiders want is there in the first round, then that should be the pick because they have to get the most important position on the field right. But, generally speaking, I’d lean towards prioritizing a corner on Day 1 in the corner versus tackle debate.

That being said, I’d be pretty thrilled with either JC Latham or Taliese Fuaga, too. As I mentioned above, there’s lots of talent at Las Vegas’ positions of need in this year’s class.

A: Jayden Daniels’ lean frame is a concern, especially since he likes to run and doesn’t protect himself well. He took a lot of big hits last season and often had to come out for a play, a series or more. Daniels did weigh in at 210 pounds at his pro day, but that’s likely a lot of water weight to increase the number on the scale. This is one of my worries with him at the next level.

For what it’s worth, Marcus Johnson dove into Telesco’s draft history and found that Telesco has only taken one quarterback under 220 pounds, Max Duggan in the seventh round last year.

A: I believe that was a fan post — so run by you guys, not us — and we’re not doing one. There is a new fan post with a mock contest for you. Have fun.

That’ll do it for this week’s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you’d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to SBPQuestions1@gmail.com or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.