Raiders grab franchise quarterback in latest ESPN mock draft
The Raiders have their new offensive coordinator in place as Luke Getsy will be calling plays in Las Vegas. But who will he be calling plays into during the 2024 season? That remains to be seen.
While the Raiders could try to attract a free-agent quarterback such as Kirk Cousins or Baker Mayfield, the expectation around the league is they will draft someone. But who might be available to them in Round 1?
In a recent mock draft by Matt Miller of ESPN, he had the Raiders selecting Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy at No. 13. Here is his reasoning behind the selection for Las Vegas:
The Raiders have a new general manager in Tom Telesco and must make finding a long-term quarterback the priority of the 2024 offseason (free agent signing Jimmy Garoppolo has not worked out). McCarthy, who started two years at Michigan, just turned 21 and has the requisite tools to be that player.
He’s mobile and tough as nails, and scouts praise his arm strength and ability to make difficult throws in big situations. He has thrown only 44 touchdown passes in college to nine interceptions and compared to the other top quarterbacks in this class, he’s by far the least-experienced thrower. But his potential and ceiling have him worthy of a top-15 selection.
McCarthy is widely viewed as the No. 4 quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft behind Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (North Carolina, and Jayden Daniels (LSU). But it’s McCarthy who ended up winning the most games and was a National Champion this year.
McCarthy is still a pretty raw player, but he has all of the traits to be a high-end starter in the NFL. Is the direction that Telesco will go with his first ever pick for the Raiders? Time will tell, but it does make a lot of sense on paper.
