The Las Vegas Raiders’ desire to draft Jayden Daniels on Thursday is reportedly one of the “worst kept secrets” in the league, and while it is unlikely to happen the team’s fanbase got a small glimpse of hope recently.
This will be an important week for the new Raiders regime of head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco. It is their first draft together and there are several needs the team has heading into Round 1 on Thursday. However, there is no bigger hole on the roster than at quarterback.
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Over the last couple of months, all reports suggest Pierce would love to get LSU star and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels. The pair have a connection after the Raiders head coach recruited him to Arizona State. On Tuesday, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones reported that Daniels wants to be in Las Vegas, and the mutual interest is one of the “worst-kept secrets” around the NFL.
Unfortunately for the Las Vegas Raiders, they are 13th in the NFL Draft order and would need to trade up into the top three to have a chance at Daniels. As of this week, most mock drafts have the Washington Commanders using their pick at No. 2 to take the QB many believe is the best in this year’s class. It was also reported this week that the Raiders reached out to Washington about trading up to their pick and were rebuffed.
But maybe there is still hope for the Raiders and Daniels to unite on Thursday.
Are the New England Patriots the Las Vegas Raiders last hope to draft Jayden Daniels?
At this point, it seems like a longshot for the silver-and-black to bring the Heisman Trophy winner to Las Vegas. However, it isn’t impossible that the Commanders surprise and instead take highly touted prospects like Drake Maye or JJ McCarthy with the No. 2 pick on Thursday. If they do, then the Raiders still have a chance to get the player they want most.
While the New England Patriots also need a QB, various reports have made it seem like they are the team much more willing to trade out of their top three spot, compared to Washington. On Monday, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garofolo of NFL Media both suggested the Patriots are open to a trade.
New England’s GM has also confirmed the team is “open for business” when it comes to a potential trade and a report on Tuesday suggested they just haven’t gotten the offer they want so far from rival teams.
While they may ask for a king’s ransom, it leaves wide open an opportunity for the Las Vegas Raiders to move up and get the player who could be the face of their franchise for the next decade. Earlier this month, it was revealed that Piece and Telesco have the support of owner Mark Davis to make a bold move up “if it made sense.”
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