5 positions Raiders could address in the upcoming NFL Draft

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, April 18, 2024 | 2 a.m.

A positive reception has greeted nearly every move the Las Vegas Raiders have made this offseason.

Fans couldn’t help but come away excited with an active free-agency period in March, headlined by luring the consensus top defensive player on the market, tackle Christian Wilkins, to town. Two months earlier, both the fan base and the NFL community at large expressed widespread approval of Raiders owner Mark Davis’ decision to elevate Antonio Pierce from interim to permanent head coach.

Perhaps the only decision that spurred some debate was Davis’ call to hire over interim general manager Champ Kelly and bring in former Chargers’ shot-caller Tom Telesco to fill the role.

But that mini-controversy will soon be forgotten if the 51-year-old Telesco, who has so far retained Kelly as an assistant, can achieve what so many of his Raiders predecessors have failed to do and put together an impactful draft class.

Telesco has worked tirelessly to get ready for the NFL Draft on April 25-27 in Detroit, and it’s nearing time to put all the preparation into action. While the Raiders showed great progress in winning three of their final four games last season and may have boosted their roster since then, some notable holes still exist. Telesco will need to fill them during the draft as the Raiders continue their long-running quest to get their first playoff win since 2002.

Here are the five positions Telesco and the Raiders are likely to target with their current collection of eight picks (No. 13 overall in the first round, No. 44 overall in the second round, No. 77 overall in the third round, No. 112 overall in the fourth round, No. 148 overall in the fifth round, No. 208 overall in the sixth round, No. 223 overall in the seventh round, and No. 229 overall in the seventh round). They’re ranked in order of importance, with some potential prospects and where they’re most slotted to be picked listed in each category. The draft gets more difficult to predict as it goes on, so the targets will primarily be players with lower-round grades.

1. Quarterback

The Raiders have a pair of serviceable options at the sport’s most important position, free-agent acquisition Gardner Minshew and incumbent Aidan O’Connell, but they’re both better suited as backups. To win at the highest level, Las Vegas needs to find its franchise quarterback. This year’s draft is considered rich in quarterback talent and the Raiders’ infatuation with Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels is no secret around the league, but getting the former LSU and Arizona State passer would require trading up. The asking price is sure to be prohibitive, and Telesco may not want to pay it.

Potential targets: LSU’s Jayden Daniels (first round), Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. (first round), Oregon’s Bo Nix (first round), South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler (third round)

2. Cornerback

Fourth-year veteran Nate Hobbs is one of the league’s better slot cornerbacks, and Jack Jones flashed high-level potential upon joining the Raiders from the Patriots last year, but the ranks are thin beyond the pair. Jakorian Bennett, a fourth-round pick last year, struggled as a rookie, and Amik Robertson, a staple since the Raiders moved to Las Vegas, left for Detroit in free agency. Don’t be surprised if the Raiders draft multiple cornerbacks. Las Vegas could still be planning to add another veteran before training camp, but that plan didn’t work out last year when they cut former All-Pro Marcus Peters midseason for showing a lack of effort on the field.

Potential targets: Alabama’s Terrion Arnold (first round), Georgia’s Kamari Lassiter (second round), Oregon’s Khyree Jackson (third round), Kentucky’s Andru Phillips (third round)

3. Right tackle

Most mock drafts have the Raiders taking a right tackle in the first round, which isn’t out of the question but may also ignore that they have a promising returner at the position. Last year’s primary starter Jermaine Eluemunor left for the New York Giants in free agency, but some thought former seventh-round pick Thayer Munford Jr. outplayed him last year anyway. Munford started the end of the year at right tackle when Eluemunor switched to left tackle to fill in for the injured Kolton Miller. A starting tackle duo of Miller and Munford this year could be above-average, though it’s an important position that teams are always looking to upgrade.

Potential targets: Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga (first round), Houston’s Patrick Paul (second round), BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia (third round), Maryland’s Delmar Glaze (fourth round)

4. Right guard

Guards are historically considered less important, and therefore less in demand, than their tackle counterparts but that’s starting to change a little bit. The guard market hit an all-time high in free agency, and some are calling for the trend to continue by teams taking players at the position higher in the draft. The Raiders have former third-round pick Dylan Parham entrenched next to Miller on the left side, but no strong option on the right after having not resigned last year’s starter Greg Van Roten. They could take a player with versatility to play either tackle or guard. Liberty High graduate Troy Fautanu is considered the best of that crop of players in this year’s draft.

Potential targets: Washington’s Troy Fautanu (first round), Oregon’s Jackson Power-Johnson (second round), Kansas State’s Cooper Beebe (third round), Kansas’ Dominick Puni (fourth round)

5. Running back

The Raiders plan to feature bulldozing third-year runner Zamir White with free-agent signing Alexander Mattison as his primary backup, but Telesco believes in a running-back-by-committee approach. He wants several players on the roster at the position. Las Vegas also resigned third-down back Ameer Abdullah, but it could use more pass-catching and another back with a shiftier style. The running back group is going to look a lot different with former NFL rushing champ Josh Jacobs off to the Green Bay Packers, and the makeover isn’t done yet.

Potential targets: Michigan’s Blake Corum (third round), Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen (fourth round), Oregon’s Bucky Irving (fourth round), Notre Dame’s Audric Estime (fourth round)

This story originally appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.