Does Tom Telesco's Past NFL Drafts Give Any Hints of What is to Come for Raiders?

The Las Vegas Raiders have a new general manager with many years of experience. Does Tom Telesco's draft history give any hints of what his first NFL Draft with the Raiders will look like?

The Las Vegas Raiders are days away from a critical NFL Draft. The Silver and Black must find a way to secure the best talent possible. Their decisions at this year’s draft will impact their team for years to come, more so than any draft they have had in many years. 

The Raiders have nearly an entirely new coaching staff and will have many more new faces on their roster this upcoming season. They also have a new, first-time head coach in Antonio Pierce. The Raiders hired Tom Telesco as their general manager in hopes he’d be able to find the right players to help the Raiders take the next step. After adding a few quality players in free agency, Telesco has the chance to improve the Raiders even more with a successful draft haul.

Telesco enters his first draft with the Raiders, but he spent a decade with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. During his time as the Chargers’ general manager, Telesco showed an eye for talent by rebuilding the Chargers roster. After spending 10 seasons with the Chargers, he has a similar task with the Raiders. The Raiders have many holes on their roster and many possibilities for what they can do in the draft. 

Although unlikely, the Raiders could trade up in the draft and select one of the top quarterback prospects. If the Raiders were to do so, it would likely be for quarterback Jayden Daniels. However, in his years with the Chargers, Telesco rarely traded up in the draft's first round.

Telesco has never made the type of trade-up in the draft that would take for the Raiders to have a legitimate shot at Daniels. Telesco's first season with the Raiders doesn’t seem like the best time for him to make a bold first-round draft-day trade.

While the age-old argument for teams is whether or not to draft players based on team needs or draft the best player available, Telesco’s history shows that he drafts for need first and then drafts the best player available. Essentially, Telesco’s history says he drafts the best player available at a position of need. The Raiders need a talented offensive lineman more than a franchise quarterback. 

The San Francisco 49ers just made it to the Super Bowl with the very last player selected in a draft playing quarterback because they had so little money invested in that quarterback they could spend money elsewhere to build a strong team around him. The Raiders are in a position to do the same thing. It doesn’t make sense for them to trade up for a quarterback while having a makeshift offensive line. 

In his 11 seasons as the Chargers’ general manager, Telesco spent three first-round draft picks on an offensive lineman. Each of those three picks came between the 11th and 17th picks in the draft. The Raiders select 13th overall and desperately need an offensive lineman.

Telesco’s history and the Raiders’ current situation along their offensive line point to the Raiders, likely suggesting an offensive lineman in the first round.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.

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