The Las Vegas Raiders are in the market for a franchise-caliber quarterback, pursuing the caliber of player who would easily start over Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell. While the 2024 NFL Draft quarterback class offers multiple options, it could prove quite expensive to land one of them.
Las Vegas already knows the Chicago Bears will draft Caleb Williams with the first overall pick. While the second overall pick is available, the Washington Commanders have made it clear they aren’t pleased with the offers they are receiving from teams for the selection.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders mock draft 2024
It leaves the New England Patriots (third overall pick), Arizona Cardinals (fourth overall pick) and Los Angeles Chargers (fifth overall pick) as realistic trade-up options for the Raiders. In acquiring any of those picks, Las Vegas would likely be moving up for either Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye.
Both players offer elite physical traits that an offense can be built around and both players could be the face of the franchise in Las Vegas. The trouble for the organization, however, is that the Minnesota Vikings also want to trade up and they have two first-round picks (11th and 23rd overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft order.
Related: Recently-traded player had interest in being moved to Las Vegas Raiders
It means general manager Tom Telesco would have to sacrifice even more future draft capital to land a franchise-caliber quarterback for Antonio Pierce. As Vikings’ coach Kevin O’Connell argued, which some viewed as a negotiating tactic, two 2024 first-round picks are more valuable than a first in 2024 and ’25.
In a mailbag for The Athletic, Raiders’ reporter Vic Tafur shared what he thinks it would cost the Raiders to trade up for a top-four pick.
“I think it’s going to take at least three draft picks, and they very well might all be first-rounders. There are a lot of teams shopping for quarterbacks, plus you have to convince one of the top three teams in the draft that they don’t really need a quarterback. And I can’t see the Washington Commanders not taking one at No. 2.”
Vic Tafur on the potential cost for the Las Vegas Raiders to acquire a top-four pick in 2024 NFL Draft
Even for a quarterback-needy team like the Raiders, sacrificing three first-round picks to land Maye or Daniels likely isn’t worth the cost. It’s a far more cost-effective option to either trade down from 13th overall or keep that pick and then move up from the second round into the end of Round 1 to draft Michael Penix Jr.
While both Daniels and Maye have a higher upside than Penix Jr., there are enough needs to address on the Raiders roster that trading up into the top 10 picks is unlikely.
