Baldinger: Raiders Shouldn't be in the Market for QB

Former NFL offensive guard Brian Baldinger said the Las Vegas Raiders should not consider drafting a quarterback in 2024.

Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; Brian Baldinger during the Cincinnati Bengals game against the Los / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders own the 13th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The first round has four quarterbacks likely to go early -- USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye, LSU's Jayden Daniels, and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy. The question is where each signal caller will go.

The Las Vegas Raiders face uncertainty at quarterback and have shown interest in some of the top quarterbacks in this year's draft class.

Last season, Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell stepped up for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 7 against the Chicago Bears and was named the starter in early November. O'Connell completed 213 of his 343 passing attempts for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in his rookie campaign. He had an 83.9 passer rating, per Pro Football Focus.

Raiders general manager Tom Telesco and coach Antonio Pierce have made it clear that O'Connell is still considered the starter. However, the Raiders recently signed Gardner Minshew from the Indianapolis Colts to presumably compete for the starting role.

But there's still the option of potentially finding the answer at quarterback in the upcoming draft.

On Friday, analyst and former NFL offensive guard Brian Baldinger made an appearance on the NFL Network's Total Access to discuss the Raiders' situation in the upcoming draft. Baldinger advised against the Raiders drafting a quarterback in the first round.

"I think [the Raiders] are OK," Baldinger said. "There are two ways to do this: you can go get the quarterback, find the franchise guy, and build around him and never stop building. Or you can build up your roster. And when the time is right for that guy to come in, should ... O'Connell or Minshew not be able to do it, you got a good roster like San Fransisco had when Brock Purdy came in."

Baldinger focused on the other side of the ball for the Raiders as well.

"I'd say the defense looks like it's getting better," he said.

Baldinger touted the recent addition of Christian Wilkins, who will play alongside defensive ends Maxx Crosby and Tyree Wilson.

"You add another piece to that defense, or an explosive player on offense, I think this team looks a lot more competitive," Baldinger said. "I'm not saying they are ready to take down the Chiefs, but that could be a missing component if these quarterbacks play pretty good up front."

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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