Picking the best Round 2 draft target for the Las Vegas Raiders after the 2024 NFL Combine
The Las Vegas Raiders just watched almost every player entering the 2024 draft at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. However, as general manager Tom Telesco said, they really aren't there to watch the workouts, but more so talk to the kids and get to know them. After doing that, I'm sure they have a better […]
The Las Vegas Raiders just watched almost every player entering the 2024 draft at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. However, as general manager Tom Telesco said, they really aren't there to watch the workouts, but more so talk to the kids and get to know them. After doing that, I'm sure they have a better idea of guys they want to or don't want to target.
Obviously, the free agency period comes before the draft, but the draft is just as important, if not more important, for building an elite squad year after year. Fans will hate to read this, but it's a big reason why the Kansas City Chiefs are as dominant as they are now. They drafted every cornerstone player on that team, including Patrick Mahomes.
If the Raiders want to be that next dynasty, it starts in the draft, and this week, we will see some future Raiders players before we even know they will wear the Silver and Black in 2024. Here at A to Z Sports, we are doing a round-by-round pick of which players would be the best pick for said team before the draft.
In round one, we went with a cornerback, because these are scenarios in which we won't be trading up or down. Now it's time to make the selection for round 2, which will be a guy who is at the combine.
Raiders should target Washington QB Michael Penix with their second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft
The Raiders need a quarterback, and luckily for them, they can still get a great guy in the second round if they aren't able to trade up in the first round and get one of those top-three guys. Penix is still very good but has an injury history, along with being older than many of his peers.
To me, this is a very similar situation to Hendon Hooker last season, where he fell so low because of his injury and injury history. Penix has a very bad history of injuries and is also one of the older quarterbacks in the draft, just like Hooker, who was drafted to the Detroit Lions on day two. And, not to mention, Penix didn't have the best Senior Bowl, or at least as good as he could have done.
Penix led Washington to the National Championship Game against the Michigan Wolverines, where, yes, they would lose, but the fact he took that school there was impressive in itself. Penix found himself on the outside looking in in terms of the Heisman race last season.
What is Penix's fit with the Raiders?
On A to Z Sports' Big Board, Penix is the sixth-ranked quarterback in the class and the 43rd-ranked player. Penix has Raider written all over him in terms of grittiness and the way he has defied all odds. He never gives up and seems to always get the job done. Well, not always, as his team didn't play the best in the National Championship Game against Michigan.
Being a Raider is also about showing up when the lights are brightest, and he lit it up in the Pac-12 Championship Game and the College Football Playoffs.
As far as how his game fits, he ran a very pro-ready offense in college. At Washington, he was placed in a lot of RPO, or Run Pas Option, situations. He pulled at times and showed his mobility, but if he needed to pull and stand in the pocket, he did that, too. He comes off as a statue, but that's more so by choice and not by design. He can move, for sure.
He has elite ball placement, but he could definitely use some work when throwing under pressure. However, while he is a guy who will need some coaching, he is more ready and mature-wise than most quarterbacks in this draft. He is close to 24 years old, which is another reason teams aren't high on him.
Final word
The Las Vegas Raiders need to get this draft right, and whether they take a quarterback in round one by trading up, or not, taking one in this draft is a good idea. If Penix is available when they pick in the second round, why not go get him?
Picking the best Round 1 draft target for the Las Vegas Raiders after the 2024 NFL Combine
He could be a stud for them.
