Xuenou > Editor's Picks > Raiders’ Josh McDaniels offers interesting thoughts on drafting a QB in the first round
Raiders’ Josh McDaniels offers interesting thoughts on drafting a QB in the first round
Raiders' Josh McDaniels offers interesting thoughts on drafting a QB in the first round,Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels isn't planning on drafting a QB just for the sake of it. "There aren't five QBs among the top 10 players in the Draft.

Raiders’ Josh McDaniels offers interesting thoughts on drafting a QB in the first round

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels isn’t planning on drafting a QB just for the sake of it.

“There aren’t five QBs among the top 10 players in the Draft. There never is. Once you start trying to overreach for people, history has not been kind to those people,” McDaniels told The Athletic. 

Since the Raiders released nine-year veteran Derek Carr and only have one QB under contract, it’s logical to assume drafting a QB should be their top priority.

Furthermore, Las Vegas has the No. 7 overall pick in a draft where four QBs have a first-round grade, per ESPN’s Jordan Reid. So, what gives? 

Although the Raiders have a top-10 pick, the best QB prospect could be off the board beforehand; three QBs were selected within the first six picks in two of the three previous drafts.

ESPN’s Todd McShay predicts three QBs will go before the fifth pick, and the Raiders must trade up to select a QB.

However, Las Vegas may not want to do that because trading up into the top five for a QB largely failed for over a decade. 

“Teams have whiffed on every such instance since 2005,” wrote The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. “The list includes Sam Darnold, Mitch Trubisky, Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Robert Griffin III and Mark Sanchez.” 

Trading up for a QB who isn’t a franchise changer would be unwise, especially for a team that has the cap space ($39.7M, per Spotrac) to acquire a QB via free agency. 

Nonetheless, the free-agency options are thin. 

If the Raiders pursue Lamar Jackson — who’s under the non-exclusive franchise tag — the Ravens can match any offer within five days or take two first-round picks as compensation. 

Jimmy Garoppolo is the next choice, but he’s injury-prone, missing 31 games over the past five seasons. 

Subsequently, McDaniels’ thinking is sound, yet he must not be too cautious during the Draft process.