The Las Vegas Raiders took a turn for the better last season when Antonio Pierce stepped into the head coaching slot and replaced Josh McDaniels. The Raiders became a far more cohesive team and showed signs of becoming competitive once Pierce installed Aidan O'Connell as the team's starting quarterback.

O'Connell knows he will face significant competition next season as the Raiders signed Gardner Minshew away from the Indianapolis Colts during the early days of free agency. Minshew was one of the top backup quarterbacks in the league last year, and he figures to press O'Connell hard for the starting job.

However, the Raiders have the No. 13 pick in the draft, and there's a good chance that they will use that picks to select a quarterback. There are six high-level quarterbacks available in this year's draft, and it seems quite likely that at least four will be selected by the time the Raiders make their pick.

Pierce is starting his first season as full-time head coach of the Raiders. He was interim coach last year. As a result of his “rookie” status, Pierce is going to depend on Las Vegas general manager Tom Telesco, who has been one of the most experienced executives when it comes to procuring talent at the quarterback position.

Raiders clearly looking at the quarterback position

Pierce does not have to do all the work when it comes to bringing a rookie quarterback into the fold. The head coach faces significant pressure leading the team and making personnel decisions for the starting lineup. Selecting players to draft is a major responsibility that he does not have as approaches his first full season.

“Well, you know you can't have two quarterbacks on the roster, right? So, we know we have to add some,” Pierce told the NFL Network's Steve Wyche. “The next wave is the draft. So we'll see. I got Tom Telesco in there. Got the magician. Figure out what he's got up his sleeve. He's done it for a long time. I got a lot of trust in him. I think he's seen it wherever he's been. Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, becomes a GM with the Chargers, Philip Rivers, Justin Herbert. So he knows something about quarterbacks.”

But no matter whom the Raiders draft, don't expect the competition to be a walkover in favor of the rookie quarterback. Pierce is very fond of O'Connell, and he is going to make sure he gets the chance to compete for the job.

“At the end of the day, listen, Aidan O'Connell played his ass off. He did a helluva job for us,” Pierce said. “You're talking about a kid that has the mental toughness to play in the National Football League. Whatever happens and whatever we do it has to go through Aidan O'Connell. Being honest with you because he's earned that right.”

Antonio Pierce is professing his loyalty to a player who competed with great effort a year ago, but in the end, he will have to go with the best quarterback — regardless of what happened last year.