Wild Trade Proposal Gets Raiders No. 1 Pick Without Giving up
The AFC West is poised to be one of the best divisions in the NFL for the foreseeable future. The Kansas City Chiefs are in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years, the Los Angeles Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton is building up the Denver Broncos.
The Las Vegas Raiders are excited about new head coach Antonio Pierce but the team isn’t going to go far in a brutal division without a good quarterback. The Raiders don’t pick until No. 13 in the first round, which likely puts them out of range to get a top prospect.
However, the Chicago Bears hold the No. 1 pick and could possibly be convinced to trade it for the right package. Bleacher Report pitched a trade that has the Raiders send their 2024 first-round pick (13th overall), 2024 second-round pick, 2025 first-round pick, 2026 second-round pick, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers and tight end Michael Mayer.
“It’s always fun to see chaos in the draft, and this hypothetical deal would create plenty,” the BR NFL Scouting Department wrote in a January 29 column. “Chicago would keep Fields and land a package very similar to what it received from Carolina last season. The Bears would move a bit further down the board, but with the ninth and 13th picks, Chicago could still address two major needs.
“Instead of landing a No. 1 receiver like Moore in this deal, Chicago would land a quality No. 2 in Jakobi Meyers plus promising tight end and 2023 second-round pick Michael Mayer.”
This would be a steep price to pay for the No. 1 pick but the Raiders would be able to get the best quarterback prospect in the draft without having to give up one of their superstar players.
Keeping Maxx Crosby out of Trade for No. 1 Pick
It’s still hard to imagine the Bears will trade the No. 1 pick for the second season in a row. Justin Fields has shown flashes but he hasn’t been good enough to justify passing on USC’s Caleb Williams or UNC’s Drake Maye.
That said, this trade would be a home run for the Raiders. The Bears were able to get D.J. Moore from the Carolina Panthers in the trade for the No. 1 pick last year but in this scenario, the Raiders don’t have to trade away either of their two best players: Defensive end Maxx Crosby or wide receiver Davante Adams.
Losing Jakobi Meyers and Michael Mayer would be a blow but landing a quarterback is much more difficult than adding a tight end or a No. 2 wide receiver.
Who Would Las Vegas Raiders Draft With No. 1 Pick?
In the event that the Raiders get the No. 1 pick in the draft, the most likely quarterback they would take is Caleb Williams. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner is considered one of the best quarterback prospects in years and he’d be ready to start on Day 1.
LSU’s Jayden Daniels has been linked to Las Vegas due to his ties to head coach Antonio Pierce but he’s a riskier prospect than Williams. Passing on Williams for Daniels could be a huge mistake but nobody fault the team for taking the former if he ends up better than the latter.
