© Gary Cosby Jr. | 2023 Oct 1
Who Will the Raiders Pick at No. 13 in the NFL Draft?
The Las Vegas Raiders have the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and hope to add a dynamic player who can step in next season as a rookie and become a standout for the Silver and Black over the next several years.
Coach Antonio Pierce and new General Manager Tom Telesco have been doing their homework to determine who might be the player they will pick in that spot.
“During the draft, you’re making decisions with the clock ticking over your head,” Telesco said. “All of this preparation leading into making decisions. Then using a lot of the opinions of people. I kind of usually start off with a big group of people’s opinions, and then you kind of have a smaller loop of people that kind of lean on at the end. Narrow it down.
“ … But for me, it’s always been about preparation. I don’t like any surprises. I don’t want something to come up during the draft that we hadn’t talked about. The clock is moving. I always say that I am not the smartest GM in the world, but I am going to prepare like no one else can prepare, so no matter what happens, we will have an answer for it. Doesn’t mean the decision is always right, but we are going to go through a good process and a lot of it is just preparation.”
Mock drafts on the NFL Network have the Raiders selecting such players as tackle Taliese Fuaga of Oregon State, defensive tackle Byron Murphy II of Texas, quarterback Bo Nix of Oregon and offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu of Penn State.
J.C. Latham is considered the best correct tackle in the 2024 NFL Draft and could be a stellar bookend for the Las Vegas Raiders for years.
© Gary Cosby Jr. | 2023 Oct 1
In addition, mock drafts on ESPN have the Raiders choosing Murphy and quarterback J.J. McCarthy of Michigan to challenge Aidan McCarthy, who had a 5-5 record as a starter in his rookie season with the Silver and Black.
“The wild card is the quarterback … we’ve gotta put a plan together,” Pierce said about the possibility of drafting a quarterback in the first round. “Everybody has a price. There’s always a price. … You can create a little doubt there, a little interest, as far as if they’re willing to make that move. Well, what if it’s not through the draft? Then we gotta go through free agency. ”
Whoever the Raiders chose in the first round, Raider Nation hopes he will remind them of great No. 1 picks of the past that include guard Gene Upshaw, running back Marcus Allen, wide receiver Tim Brown, defensive back Charles Woodson, safety Jack Tatum, tackle Henry Lawrence, tight end Raymond Chester, kicker Sebastian Janikowski, defensive tackle Art Thoms, tackle Kolton Miller and running back Josh Jacobs.
From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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