Going into the 2024 NFL Draft, we all knew the Las Vegas Raiders needed a quarterback. It was obvious that was their biggest need. And, based on some of the things we heard head coach Antonio Pierce say, they were going to be aggressive in getting a QB.
Well, that didn't happen. Then again, I'm not sure how many teams outside of the top eight were able to follow a plan they had set in stone. The Raiders' plan was destroyed basically from the get-go. It all started at pick No. 8. The Atlanta Falcons were on the clock and about to do the craziest thing we had seen in years.
After giving Kirk Cousins a huge contract in free agency, which is fully guaranteed through 2025, they decided they should draft quarterback Michael Penix at No. 8. The Raiders were not able to trade up for QB Jayden Daniels, who went No. 2 overall to the Washington Commanders, as most of us thought he would.
Everything was pretty messed up, and the Raiders didn't really try that hard to move up.
"Not particularly hard, not particularly hard," general manager Tom Telesco said on Thursday after the draft. "We looked into it like I said in the pre-draft press conference. We had a plan to move up if the opportunity was there. It wasn't there, kept moving."
I don't think this means Pierce lied to smokescreen anything; I genuinely think the market for a quarterback was much different than what anyone was expecting, as six quarterbacks went in the top 12 picks. The capital it would have took the Raiders to move up and grab one would have been too much, likely.
Now, they are forced to look into the position on day two, which still has some players that can be good. However, the hit rate isn't as high. Telesco knows what he is doing, though
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