Returning Raider Nation’s questions for the week
Well, Las Vegas Raiders fans, we’re officially less than a month away from the NFL Draft and the quarterback conversations are heating up by the day! So, let’s dive into this week’s mailbag.
Question: Matt, if we can’t get Jayden Daniels, but Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy are available, who would you pick if you were Telesco?
Answer: This is an easy one for me, McCarthy. While he’s definitely the biggest project of the bunch, I like his potential and the fact that he just turned 21 in January gives him a higher ceiling than the two older guys. I’m a fan of McCarthy’s arm talent, ability to throw on the run and athleticism which is enough to put him as QB4 for me. Plus, I’ve been impressed with his maturity and leadership for such a young player.
If the Michigan product isn’t available though — which I think he won’t be — I’d lean toward Penix over Nix. Those two were pretty close to each other, in my eyes, to begin this process and Penix has performed better in events like the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine to give him the nod for me.
A: Probably not. I still think Penix will be the fifth quarterback drafted, but he’ll likely be a mid- to late-first-round pick, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Raiders try to trade back in the first to get him if they pass at 13.
Q: The Raiders have only upgraded/added 1 starter to last year’s roster & have released/lost other starters! What other positions for Raiders do you actually think will be upgraded (New Starters added) during FA? And what positions do you want them to upgrade?
A: I definitely want them to upgrade at right guard and right tackle, or at least bring in some competition for Thayer Munford Jr. There aren’t many free-agent options available at this stage in the game, but Connor Williams, Mekhi Becton and Dalton Risner would be worth kicking the tires on.
Williams has been playing center over the last two seasons, but he lined up at guard during the first four years of his career. However, it seems like his health is an issue as he has a long injury history and is coming off of a “pretty significant” torn ACL, per his agent via Pro Football Talk.
Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
Becton also has an injury history and questions about his work ethic, but he has plenty of talent that it could be worth bringing him in on a short-term deal to see what he can do. As for Risner, most people agree that he’s a quality starter but this is the second year in a row that he’s been available later in free agency. So, it seems like something is going on with him that hasn’t been made public.
Additionally, I’d like to see them bring in a cornerback who can step in and fill the CB1 role. Again, there aren’t exactly a ton of options right now, but Stephon Gilmore and Steven Nelson are intriguing free agents. Both guys are older and don’t bring much future value, but both also played well last season and could be worth a one-year flier.
A: That does seem to be the direction they are heading in. I know this isn’t exactly an inspiring scenario since Marcus Peters didn’t work out last season, but I could see a similar situation as a year ago where they bring someone in late. Hopefully, the veteran they sign will actually play with some effort this time, though.
Maybe I’m looking into this too much, but Antonio Pierce was seen talking with Terrion Arnold at Alabama’s pro day, and Arnold talked about how they had a good conversation during their meeting at the NFL Combine. So, it certainly seems like the corner is on the Raiders’ radar with the 13th overall pick, meaning the team’s brass could be waiting to see if he falls to them in the draft before signing a veteran corner. Of course, this is assuming they pivot away from taking a quarterback with that pick.
Q: In your opinion, did the NFL go overboard on new rule changes? Which one, if any, was absolutely necessary?
A: I’m not a fan of the hip-drop tackle rule because I think the rules are somewhat subjective and going to be very hard to call in real-time. We can spot hip-drop tackles because we have the advantage of broadcast replays and slow motion, but the refs don’t get that luxury and I feel it’s going to lead to more controversy.
Also, I understand the player safety angle, but I also think there are too many rules on how to tackle someone that make it too difficult for defenders to legally bring someone down. At the end of the day, football is a violent game and everyone who puts pads on knows what they’re getting themselves into and the risks of playing the game. Plus, nobody wants to see penalties/refs deciding the outcome of games.
I am a big fan of the new kickoff rule, though. Kickoffs have gone from one of the more exciting plays of the game to one of the most boring with all of the previous rule changes. However, the XFL-style kickoffs have been fun to watch as teams were more creative with their return strategies, and the risk of injuries/concussions was reduced. So, this rule change was a best-of-both-worlds scenario where player safety has improved and the game gets more exciting.
Q: What are your thoughts about Jordan Travis at either 13 or 44?
A: No.
Q: Are the Raiders still on the hook for Chandler Jones’s contract?
A: According to Over The Cap, Jones is still on the Raiders’ books for about $12.3 million in dead cap space which is the team’s highest dead cap hit by about $6.8 million. Hunter Renfrow is second at roughly $5.5 million.
A: Follow this link for the best Raiders’ pre-draft coverage.
In all seriousness, I’m a big fan of Dane Brugler from The Athletic. Fairly quietly, Dane puts in a ton of work when it comes to the draft and is someone I look up to in the industry. He’s not a big mock draft guy and I don’t have a number on his hit rate or anything like that, but his annual draft guide is the best in the industry and provides a ton of information on hundreds of prospects. He also has a decent pulse on what scouts think about players and was offered a scouting job by the Chiefs back in the day, but he was about to have a kid at the time and is a family man, so he chose to stick with the media route.
I got a chance to meet Dane at the Senior Bowl a few years ago. He’s a really nice guy who I can’t say enough good things about, both professionally and personally.
A: Tom Telesco kind of did both during his tenure with the Chargers. For example, in 2018 they didn’t need a safety with Adrian Phillips and Jahleel Addae on the roster, but Derwin James Jr. fell to pick 17 and Telesco took advantage. Then, in 2021, Los Angeles desperately needed a left tackle, so he took Rashawn Slater at 13. Granted, it’s not like Slater was considered a reach at that spot or anything like that.
In other words, taking the best player available is a possibility. However, Telesco has typically let the draft board fall to him, meaning it’s not likely that the Raiders would trade up for any player who isn’t a quarterback. Also, I’d be pretty shocked if he selected Brock Bowers since the team already has one young tight end in Michael Mayer and that’s not a high-value position.
A: Best fit, I’d say Drake Maye and Caleb Williams would be a close second. Both guys have strong arms and can throw over the middle of the field. Also, we all know about what Williams can do with his legs but Maye can make plays with his feet too, he’s just more straight line and doesn’t have the wiggle/shiftiness Williams does.
The worst fit is probably Bo Nix. Out of the top six, he has the weakest arm and while his decision-making improved at Oregon, the Ducks also gave him a lot of one-read concepts like screens and RPOs to take that part of the game out of his hands. That will make him a tough fit in most offenses, but the combination of that and a lack of arm strength could lead to issues executing Luke Getsy’s vertical passing attack.
A: I wouldn’t say I completely agree with you on the Penix evaluation but, to answer the question, I’m starting to lean toward Spencer Rattler.
Rattler has plenty of arm talent and has continued to impress me throughout the pre-draft process. He’s not the same player he was at Oklahoma who was over-confident in his arm and made frustrating throw after frustrating throw. I think he could fit into Getsy’s offense and compete with Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew for the starting job.
That’ll do it for this week’s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you’d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to SBPQuestions1@gmail.com or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.