The Las Vegas Raiders were linked to several quarterbacks with the No. 7 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft leading up to Thursday night.
That included former Kentucky signal caller Will Levis.
What followed surprised the masses. Vegas opted to go with young edge rusher Tyree Wilson to pair up with Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby on defense. As for Levis, he saw one of the most dramatic drops down the board in recent NFL Draft history.
Originally selected to go as high as No. 2 overall to the Houston Texans, Levis was not taken within the first 31 picks. He’s now among the top players remaining on the board as Round 2 gets going from Kansas City Friday evening.
There seems to be a match made in heaven here. According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Vegas was among the teams “desperately” attempting to trade up into the bottom of the first round Thursday night.
These teams were said to be talking with the Philadelphia Eagles about the 30th pick. The list also included the Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans. The defending NFC champion Eagles didn’t bite. Rather, they selected former Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith with the 30th pick.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders go edge with first pick in 2023 NFL Draft
Las Vegas Raiders could trade up for Will Levis to open Day 2
That’s the biggest takeaway here. The Pittsburgh Steelers are slated to open things up Friday night with the 32nd pick. They are in conversations with numerous teams about a potential trade down. Obviously, the Raiders are going to be involved in these talks.
The interesting dynamic here is that Vegas was linked more to former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker leading up to the draft. In fact, reports suggests that the team believes he is the third-best signal caller in the draft behind Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, who were the first two players off the board Thursday night.
There is certainly a need for the Raiders at quarterback. They signed Jimmy Garoppolo as a stopgap option to replace longtime starter Derek Carr. Being able to land a quarterback with a value selection in Round 2 would be seen as a boon.
Despite the Raiders being linked more to Hooker than Levis, the fact that they attempted to move up to the end of Round 1 suggests that the latter could be their target in a hypothetical trade up with Pittsburgh.
Related: Why Will Levis fell out of the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft
Vegas boasts the 38th overall pick Friday night. After that, it is slated to have the 70th and 100th selections to close out Round 3.
Based on various NFL Draft trade value charts, moving up from 38 to 32 should cost the Las Vegas Raiders their fourth-round pick (109th overall). Then again, Pittsburgh could value that selection at a higher clip given who remains on the board.