NFL Draft countdown: Focus on Raiders' first-round pick at No. 13
The 2024 NFL Draft is only 13 days away. Last year, the Packers took DL Lukas Van Ness 13th overall. This year, Las Vegas hopes to get lucky with the 13th pick. Here’s who experts think they'll take.
ESPN (Field Yates): Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Noting how much better the team’s defense should be after signing former Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to a four-year, $110M deal, Yates believes the Raiders can now concentrate on upgrading their offensive line.
“Next up is the right side of the offensive line, as the Raiders are thin at both tackle and guard there. Fuaga would alleviate that issue in a hurry. He is known for bringing a nastiness to an offensive line and setting the tone, but he's also an impressively smooth-moving right tackle.”
Even with 13 games from a talented running back like Josh Jacobs, the Raiders' rushing attack ranked 30th with 90.7 yards per game in 2023. Fuaga’s aggressive style should help with that as well as pass protection. Last season, he allowed 12 quarterback hurries, two quarterback hits and no sacks in 700 snaps.
ESPN (Matt Miller) Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Miller has the Raiders going to the Beaver State with the 13th pick as well, but this time for a Duck. He sees the team adding Nix to the mix, giving quarterbacks Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell some early competition.
“Nix, who started 61 games in college, threw 113 touchdown passes and ran for 38 more scores over five seasons. He would give the Raiders' offense the dual-threat aspect it needs for new coordinator Luke Getsy.”
Getsy spent the last two seasons working with quarterback Justin Fields as Chicago’s offensive coordinator. If he’s comfortable working with another running quarterback, Nix makes a lot of sense at No. 13.
Pro Football Focus (Arjun Menon ): Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
When it comes to Crimson Tide cornerbacks, more people know the name Kool-Aid McKinstry (for obvious reasons). Still, Arnold not only led the team with 12 pass breakups, but he tied for the SEC lead with five interceptions last year.
Arnold came to Alabama as a five-star safety prospect but quickly moved to cornerback where he had 108 tackles, 20 passes defensed and six interceptions in two years as a starter.
His production score at the NFL Scouting Combine was tops among cornerbacks and his overall score ranked third at the position. With just five career starts for incumbent Raiders cornerback Jack Jones, Arnold would see the field immediately in Las Vegas.
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