Raiders get right tackle and quarterback in 5-round mock draft

We’re about two and half weeks away from the beginning of the 2024 NFL Draft and who the Las Vegas Raiders will draft with the 13th overall pick, or if the Raiders will stay at 13, is a big mystery. Recently, NFL media’s Chad Reuter conducted a five-round mock draft and put together an interesting strategy for Las Vegas to address two of the team’s biggest needs.

Reuter had the Silver and Black staying put in the first round and taking Alabama right tackle JC Latham.

“Latham’s huge frame and power off the snap in the run game belie his ability to slide laterally and widen his base in pass protection, making him a tough ask for defenders to beat with power or speed off the edge,” the analyst wrote. “As you’ll see later in this exercise, I project the Raiders to send fourth- and fifth-round picks to Carolina to move up early in the second round to select Michael Penix Jr., who could be an excellent starter if able to stay healthy.”

As referenced above, Reuter then made a trade at the top of the second round where the Raiders gave up pick 44, a fourth-rounder and a fifth-rounder to select Penix 33rd overall. For comparison, the Tennessee Titans sent over the 41st overall selection, a third-round pick in last year’s draft and a 2024 third-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for No. 33 and a third-rounder a year ago. The Titans used that 33rd pick to take quarterback Will Levis.

The Washington signal-caller has been gaining steam lately, so it’s hard to imagine he’ll still be on the board after the first night of the draft. But if he is, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Las Vegas make a move for Penix.

To complete the Raiders’ selections, Reuter sent Auburn cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett to Sin City with the 77th overall pick (third round). Assuming Thayer Munford Jr. slides inside to right guard with Latham at right tackle, this would mean the team addresses its three biggest needs in the first three rounds of the draft.

In Other Raiders’ Links:
Jack Jones doesn’t hold back on former city: “They said Mac [Jones] look happier in [Jacksonville],” the cornerback posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Lol, it was [New England], it wasn’t Bill, [New England] fans (27 thumbs down emojis)x1000000000000.”
Derek Carr looking forward to playing Maxx Crosby: the former Raiders quarterback was asked on social media about his thoughts on facing off against his old teammate and joked: “I am looking forward to it…I’m going to try and start a fight with him, and punch him, and have the ref only see him through his punch back.”
Not coming away from draft with QB would be concerning: “Now, before your feathers get ruffled, here’s the key caveat: This isn’t relegated to merely the first or early rounds, either,” S&BP’s Ray Aspuria wrote. “This line of thought applies to the entire draft landscape, from rounds one to seven.”
Building trenches at pick 13 would be wise: “Just as the Raiders are trying to figure out their quarterback position, the team has a question mark at right tackle,” Aspuria said. “And landing a prospect who can protect the signal caller while becoming an integral piece of Las Vegas’ run game is a sound move.”