NFL rumors: 7 QBs Raiders already need to be targeting for their future
By John Buhler
4. Caleb Williams is the apple of everyone's eye, do with that what you will
Let's be real. Any team in dire need of a starting quarterback entering next season should have former USC star Caleb Williams on their radar. Where things stand now, he is my QB1 and anybody who passes on him with the No. 1 pick is stupid. I may not love his on-field antics and may question his ability to lead full-grown men, but the talent the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner possesses is unreal.
No, the Raiders are not going to end up with the No. 1 overall pick. It is probably going to the Chicago Bears by way of the hot garbage mess that is the Carolina Panthers in the aftermath of the Bryce Young trade last spring. However, the Bears also stink and will have their own pick. If the Raiders are picking inside the top-eight, they would have a shot at trading up to No. 1 to possibly draft Williams.
Williams should be QB1 on everyone's board, but the Raiders may not be in the best spot to get him.
3. Drake Maye projects to have the NFL's next Aaron Rodgers arm talent
We have arrived at a potential starting quarterback that I think is very likely to come play for the Raiders. Drake Maye out of North Carolina is my QB2. If he is anything less than a top-five pick, I would be completely shocked. He is probably the second player taken, possibly even the third if somebody else values a non-quarterback more than him. Regardless, go trade up for Maye, Raiders.
If Caleb Williams projects as the next Patrick Mahomes in terms of overall NFL comp, then Maye is the next Aaron Rodgers. Think about the Silver and Black getting Rodgers' arm talent, without all the off-field nonsense. If the Raiders land Maye, they will have gotten a player who could eventually take them to Super Bowls. We are talking about a Ken Stabler, Jim Plunkett, Rich Gannon type of player.
The only hold-up with potentially drafting Maye is that the Raiders may have to move up to get him.