Raiders would love for this Big Ten star to fall to them at No. 17

Nothing would make the Las Vegas Raiders happier than landing this Big Ten star at No. 17.

If Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons plummets down NFL Draft boards for some reason, do not expect him to fall any further than the Las Vegas Raiders picking at No. 17.

“Talking to people who are familiar with the process, I keep hearing they love Micah Parsons,” said Sports Illustrated’s Hondo Carpenter on the Pritch and Clay radio show.

“That’s a linebacker out of Penn State who is an absolute beast. Now I think there are some defensive backs [the Raiders] really like and some offensive linemen. But I’m telling you, I keep hearing if Micah Parsons falls, nobody in the NFL believes he gets past the Raiders and the biggest question is if he falls that far.”

Parsons falling to the Raiders is a pipe dream, but it is one Las Vegas would certainly welcome.

Las Vegas Raiders: How does Micah Parsons fall to them at No. 17 in the draft?

Parsons opted out of the 2020 college football season after a sensational two-year run at Penn State. Earlier in the draft process, he was slotted as high as No. 4 to the Atlanta Falcons, but it feels like he is coming off the board somewhere between No. 7 to the Detroit Lions and No. 17 to the Raiders. Does Parsons have a chance to slip all the way to Las Vegas with its first-round pick?

There are five teams picking ahead of the Raiders to keep an eye on: The Lions at No. 7, the Carolina Panthers at No. 8, the rival Denver Broncos at No. 9, the New York Giants at No. 11 and the New England Patriots at No. 15. So with that in mind, the Raiders are almost certainly going to have to trade up past No. 15 to get their guy. Who should the Raiders push for a trade with here?

You are not trading with Denver, so cross them out. It is hard to see a deal with Detroit or Carolina with Chris Spielman in the Lions’ war room and Matt Rhule wanting to get his own version of Luke Kuechly. Then again, these bottom-feeding NFC clubs have other needs to address as well. That leaves us with two trade partners: The Miami Dolphins at No. 6 and the Dallas Cowboys at No. 10.

Miami loves to wheel-and-deal up and down draft boards under Chris Grier’s guidance. Not sure they would want back-to-back picks at No. 17 and No. 18, but we can never rule out anything Miami wants to do in a particular draft. As for Dallas, Jerry Jones might be dead-set on taking his next star at No. 10. However, his team needs more than one piece to be a Super Bowl contender.

Overall, the Raiders need to get past the Giants at No. 11 and especially the Patriots at No. 15 if they want a real shot at drafting a player of Parsons’ caliber. If you want to truly screw over the Broncos in what they are trying to do this offseason, the Raiders may need to find a trade partner between No. 4 and No. 8 to get their guy. Parsons is worth trading up for, but maybe not that far.

The Raiders may love the idea of having Parsons on their team, but they need to work to get him.