Vincent Frank
The Las Vegas Raiders might be settled at quarterback this coming season after replacing Derek Carr with Jimmy Garoppolo. However, that’s not stopping head coach Josh McDaniels and Co. from doing their due diligence one some of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Raiders met with Bryce Young last week despite the fact that the Alabama product is widely expected to go No. 1 overall to the Carolina Panthers.
Vegas’ brass isn’t stopping there. The Raiders are meeting with former Ohio State star C.J. Stroud in Sin City on Tuesday.
Young and Stroud are considered the top-two prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft. One of them will go with the first pick after Carolina traded up to that selection with the Chicago Bears. As of right now, it’s also trending in the direction of the quarterback who is not off the board to Carolina heading to the Houston Texans with the second selection.
With the Indianapolis Colts (fourth overall), Seattle Seahawks (fifth) and Detroit Lions (sixth) all linked to quarterbacks, it’s hard to imagine C.J. Stroud falling to the seventh selection.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders could pull off blockbuster NFL Draft trade
Las Vegas Raiders flirtation with quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft
Teams are only able to meet with 30 prospects in the lead up to the NFL Draft. Now that the Raiders are slated (or have met with) the top-five signal callers in the annual event, it’s a clear sign that this is more than window shopping.
At this point, Vegas will likely be able to land Florida’s Anthony Richardson or Will Levis from Kentucky with the seventh selection. The team has also been linked to Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, who would be seen as a reach with the seventh pick.
As for Stroud, the Raiders would likely have to move up to the No. 2 overall pick to guarantee them his services. Even then, it’s not a 100% guarantee that Carolina is targeting Young over Stroud. This certainly complicates things, especially with the Texans obviously looking to add a quarterback of the future.
All of this comes shortly after the Las Vegas Raiders released Carr and replaced him with Garoppolo on a three-year, $72.75 million contract back in March. Said contract does enable Las Vegas to get out from under Garoppolo’s contract with a $13 million cap savings after the 2023 season, leading to speculation that he could be one-and-done in Southern Nevada.
The Raiders have received criticism for their off-season plan thus far from those around the league. That includes largely ignoring impact players on the defensive side of the ball following a disastrous 2022 campaign.
Earlier in the pre-draft process, this seemed to be a clear indication that general manager Dave Ziegler would target defense early and often once the NFL Draft comes calling. Ziegler himself seemed to suggest this was the case a while back.
“We’re in charge of filling the most important position on the team. There’s some pressure that comes along with that and however we fill it, it doesn’t mean we’re going to have an immediate answer this year.”
Las Vegas Raiders GM Dave Ziegler on QB situation (February, 2023)
Since then, all signs have pointed to Vegas adding a quarterback early in the draft. It was in on trading up for the No. 1 overall pick with the Chicago Bears before Carolina finalized the deal. Now, the team is meeting with multiple quarterback prospects who will not be available with its first-round pick.
Something could very well be up in Sin City.
