The Raiders Have a Draft Pickle

The Las Vegas Raiders finished the 2024 campaign with a terrible 4-13 record, which should be advantageous for the forthcoming NFL draft, right?

The Raiders Have a Draft Pickle

Not really.

Las Vegas’ 4-13 record, in a normal year, would’ve been fantastic for future team-building, bordering on tanking — without actually tanking. Yet, so many NFL teams played poorly in 2024 that the Raiders were shoved down to the sixth pick.

And that doesn’t really help in solving the problem. Here’s why.

The Team Needs

The Raiders have an abundance of roster needs that the sixth overall pick will not cure. Usually, finishing 4-13 situates a franchise in prime territory to draft a quarterback. For example, Las Vegas could’ve salivated over and drafted Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy, or Michael Penix in 2024. Last year’s class featured significantly more quarterback talent than 2025.

Therefore, heading into the offseason, the Raiders must address these large roster needs:

• QB1
• RB1
• WR1
• CB1
• EDGE
• ILB1

That list is meaty, a daunting task to address in one free-agent period and draft.

Get a QB? Not So Fast.

The easy fix? Well, just draft the best quarterback or second-best option in the draft.

The problem is that Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) and Cam Ward (Miami) are virtually guaranteed to fly off the board before Las Vegas gets to the podium at pick No. 6. How about a trade-up? In theory that could work, but then new Raiders general manager John Spytek could not address the above-listed roster needs. It’s a pickle.

Moving up for Sanders or Ward will cost the draft’s equivalent of a king’s ransom, and Las Vegas has too many roster holds to sell future assets.

Trading down could make the most sense.

The Raiders as … The Raiders in the Draft

There’s also the element of reputation that somehow lives through decades.

Las Vegas habitually does silly or funky things in a draft, and truth be told, it often doesn’t matter who holds the general manager position. Making “out there” business decisions is in the organization’s DNA.

So, if one can swallow the acceptance of all the roster needs and realize that Sanders and Ward are not attainable, then Raiders fans have to hope the Raiders don’t do Raiders things.

Sign a Free-Agent QB and Wait until Next Year on Rookie QB

Las Vegas can’t risk trading up for Sanders or Ward and sacrificing the grand list of roster needs. It’s not feasible to thread the needs through a cloth so thin.

Ultimately, though it may make some onlookers cringe, the Raiders might have to bite the bullet and sign a free-agent quarterback like Sam Darnold, Kirk Cousins, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, or Zach Wilson to fulfill the cliche “bridge” quarterback duties. And the bridge is uncertain because Las Vegas can’t realistically draft a rookie quarterback until 2026 unless it falls in love with a non-1st-Rounder this year.

Let’s hope Las Vegas loves Quinn Ewers or Jaxson Dart. Otherwise, patience will be needed.

Meanwhile, the Raiders don’t even have a coach seven weeks before free agency.

Perhaps Arch Manning can fix it all in about a year and a half.

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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the Minnesota Vikings, with 4-7 episodes per week. His NFL obsession dates back to 1989. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.