The Las Vegas Raiders are a team that many people are going to be keeping an eye on in the coming weeks. With interim head coach Antonio Pierce leading the way, Las Vegas has put forth more spirited efforts than they did with Josh McDaniels leading the way.
The biggest change Pierce made was replacing veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as the starter. Rookie Aidan O’Connell was pegged as the starter instead and he has provided a mixed bag of results.
While there is still time for O’Connell to get things going on a more consistent level, it would not surprise anyone if the Raiders are in the market for a quarterback this offseason. If they look to the NFL Draft to fill that void, one player provides a lot of intrigue; Jayden Daniels out of LSU.
Las Vegas isn’t projected to be high enough in the draft to take one of the top prospects, such as Caleb Williams out of USC or Drake Maye out of North Carolina. But, Daniels is expected to be a middle-of-the-first-round player, making him an ideal target for the Raiders in the opinion of Josh Edwards of CBS Sports.
If Pierce is retained, the odds of Daniels landing in Sin City only go up. Pierce was part of the Arizona State staff as an assistant, where Daniels played from 2019-2021 before transferring to LSU and turning into a Heisman Trophy candidate.
“[Jimmy] Garoppolo has not worked out in Sin City and Aidan O’Connell has hardly been better, so the franchise will assuredly make a move. Currently projected to pick in the middle of the first round, the Raiders are in a position to add a player who has used a stellar senior season to boost his draft outlook.
“It is difficult to say which type of quarterback the franchise may favor considering it has not made a full-time head coaching hire yet.”
Before any decisions are made at quarterback, the Raiders need to figure out who their head coach will be. If the team finds more success under Pierce throughout the remainder of 2023, he will be under strong consideration for the role.
O’Connell will also have a part in that decision. If he plays well enough through the final stretch, the Raiders could see him as a viable option to be under center as the starter in 2024.
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