The Las Vegas Raiders may be willing to trade up in the 2024 NFL Draft to get a quarterback that will prove difficult. There are several teams picking ahead of the team that need a quarterback, which could jack up the price to move up.
If the Raiders can’t get a top-five pick, they may need to consider selecting a quarterback later. Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. was 2023’s Maxwell Award-winner but his age (23), injury history and disappointing performance against Michigan in the National Championship game have caused his stock to slip.
He should be available to the Raiders at No. 13 and possibly even later in the draft. Seth Walder of ESPN went through and predicted the Week 1 starting quarterback for all 32 NFL teams and he predicted Penix to start for Las Vegas.
“Like the division rival Broncos, the Raiders need a quarterback and sit in a draft position where taking one makes a lot of sense,” Walder wrote in a February 27 column. “I’ve opted to pair them with Penix (Washington) here, in part because they’re behind Denver and Minnesota in the draft order and also because Penix was the sixth quarterback off the board in Matt Miller’s latest mock draft. But the Raiders might not need to pick Penix at No. 13; they could trade down and nab him later in Round 1 or take him in Round 2 if the board falls in their favor.”
