The Las Vegas Raiders have some pressing needs in the 2024 NFL Draft, starting with quarterback. However, at pick 13, unless they are willing to make a huge trade up, they aren’t likely to get their top guy. That’s why the Silver and Black’s best strategy is to take another need first, which is what they do in this three-round Raiders mock draft.
The short-lived Jimmy Garoppolo era is over in Las Vegas and while Aidan O’Connell showed some good things as a rookie, he’s probably not a superstar starting quarterback in the NFL. Neither is recent free-agent signing Gardner Minshew. Now that the QB carousel has almost stopped spinning with Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Mac Jones, and even Kenny Pickett spoken for, the Raiders have precious few options to bring in a QB outside of the NFL draft.
Getting a QB in this year’s draft won’t be easy for a team sitting at No. 13. The Chicago Bears are almost certain to take Caleb Williams, and the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots seem poised to take Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels (in some order). If either of those teams balks, the Minnesota Vikings or Denver Broncos are ready to swoop in with better offers than the Raiders can provide.
Even Michigan’s JJ McCarthy likely won’t slip past No. 6 with the New York Giants there, so it will be incredibly tough for Las Vegas to get a QB in Round 1. That said the draft is a long three days in April, so if the Raiders play it like they do in this mock draft, they can get their signal-caller and then some.
Round 1, No. 13: RT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
Right tackles don’t get the love that left tackles do, but in the modern NFL, they are becoming just as important as offenses get more varied and creative. Still, they don’t usually have as much value as their left-side counterparts in the NFL draft, so the Raiders should have their pick of RTs at 13.
Alabama’s JC Latham and Washington’s Troy Fautanu will likely play right tackle in the league, but Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga is a ready-made RT who should be a Day 1 starter for the Raiders who lost Jerome Eluemunor to the Giants in free agency.
Fuanga is a 6-foot-6, 324-pound giant with a nasty streak who has a ceiling where he could become one of the best right tackles in the league. What is nice about Fuanga, though, is that he also has the skills to become an excellent NFL guard or even center, so his floor should be as a starter somewhere on the offensive line.
This isn’t as sexy as trading up for a Heisman-winning QB, but this is the safe, smart pick for the Raiders in this NFL mock draft.
Round 2, No. 44: QB Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Just because the Raiders don’t get a QB in the first round of this NFL mock draft doesn’t mean they won’t take one at some point. And if Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. falls to the second round, Las Vegas needs to pounce.
There are plenty of red flags around Penix. He’s suffered multiple season-ending injuries — including multiple knee injuries — in college and he’s relatively old for a prospect, turning 24 in May.
Still, Penix was amazing after transferring from Indiana to Washington and even led his Huskies to a national championship game this season.
The organization that drafts Penix is ideally a team ready to win now. Penix might not be a 10-year franchise QB, but he is the most NFL-ready signal-caller right now. This fits perfectly with the Raiders in 2024. If Penix, Gardner Minshew, and Aidan O’Connell compete for the starting job in the fall, the Raiders could be in a good spot with whoever wins.
Round 3, No. 77: CB Decamerion Richardson, Mississippi State
Antonio Pierce is a former linebacker and a defensive coach at heart, so he won’t want to neglect that side of the ball in the 2024 NFL draft.
After signing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, the next-biggest need for the Raiders D is in the secondary. A cornerback in the third round makes a lot of sense, and at this spot, there are still some good ones left.
Mississippi State’s Decamerion Richardson ran the sixth-fastest 40 times at the combine at a blazing 4.34 seconds, and as we all know, the Raiders love their speed guys. And at 6-foot-2, 188 pounds, that is a pretty incredible feat.
Richardson has his technique issues and lapses in coverage at times, but that size and speed combo will simply be too much for the Raiders to pass up at this point in the draft.
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