Raiders Draft: What to do if the unthinkable happens
There’s a chance the Raiders could get lucky.
There have been recent reports about the Raiders possibly moving up in the draft to the fourth pick so that they can grab Anthony Richardson. But, there is something that could possibly happen, that I don't think the Raiders should pass up on if they do indeed move up.
Todd McShay of ESPN predicted in his latest mock draft that the Raiders will move to pick 4. That would be awesome because then they could grab the quarterback they want.
But, after the combine, for some reason, Bryce Young has been falling in mock drafts. People think he is too small, which is dumb if we are being honest. Kyler Murray, Drew Brees, and Russell Wilson have all been successful as smaller quarterbacks.
If the Raiders move to fourth, and Young is available, the Raiders should snag him right away. He is a quarterback that could be the best in this class by a longshot. He is ranked the number one prospect by Pro Football Focus, and in their opinion, has shades of Deshuan Watson in terms of play style and game.
Here is what PFF thinks of Young:
Young has that creative mindset that we’re seeing take over the NFL at quarterback. He’s good in structure, but when Young breaks the pocket, he’s capable of special plays. Young is the kind of talent that you turn the keys over to as an offensive coordinator. You can trust him to make the necessary adjustments to the called concepts for them to be successful. He just sees the game so well. While his height isn’t changing, Young could stand to add some muscle to his frame simply for injury avoidance. He’s never going to have Josh Allen’s risk aversion when it comes to contact, but taking some big hits is unavoidable at the position.
The Raiders could get the best guy in the draft, but there is a risk, because of his size. He could be injury prone, because, at the quarterback position, and his size, he is going to get hit a lot, and it's going to hurt. But, the Raiders should also be targeting offensive line pieces in this draft too.
If they got Young, or the chance to take him, I should say, their offense could be elite in 2023. That's how ready Young is for the NFL. Not only that, but he would be coming to a team that has a good offensive system in place with good pieces. He would have one of the leagues best-running backs, a top-three receiver in the league, and an amazing tight end.
Young would love playing in Las Vegas, probably a lot more than any of the teams ahead of the Raiders who can't offer as much.
