Now that the season is officially over for the Las Vegas Raiders, we know that they will be picking at No. 7 in the 2023 NFL Draft. It’s the highest pick they’ve owned since selecting Clelin Ferrell at No. 4 in 2019.
All year long, the expectation was that the Raiders would use that pick on their offensive line or in the secondary. But with Derek Carr’s future in question, it’s time to consider the possibility of them selecting a quarterback.
In a recent mock draft by Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus, he has the Raiders selecting Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud with the No. 7 pick. Here is what he has to say about that pick:
“The Raiders are ready to hit the reset button at the quarterback position, and Stroud is just the player to help them do so. With his quick trigger and pinpoint accuracy, Stroud looks like arguably the draft class’ best fit for Josh McDaniels’ offense. He’s coming off the best performance of his career from a draft perspective, earning a 92.2 overall grade against Georgia in the playoff.”
Stroud is widely viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in this class and maybe the best pure pocket passer. He put together two incredible seasons at Ohio State and could be the first quarterback off the board come April.
Stroud does make a lot of sense with McDaniels as he can get rid of the ball quickly and accurately. Expect to see a ton of mock drafts with the Raiders selecting Stroud over the next three months.