NFL Rumors: Raiders failed trade, Deshaun Watson disaster, Eagles-Panthers trade
- Deshaun Watson's shoulder injury is more serious than anyone thought
- Raiders tried to trade up for a top QB in April
- The Eagles and Panthers could strike this trade before the deadline
By Kristen Wong
NFL Rumors: Raiders tried and failed to trade up for C.J. Stroud in April
The Raiders' draft plans this past April have been officially confirmed thanks to a snippet revealed by ESPN's Dan Orlovsky.
Orlovsky said this week on "The Dan Patrick Show", "We know that [the Raiders] tried to trade up for C.J. Stroud this past year."
Well, now we definitely do know.
Prior to the confirmation, there were rumors that the Raiders wanted to trade up in the 2023 NFL Draft. According to The Athletic, the Raiders were seriously looking to trade with the Bears for the No. 1 overall pick; however, once they found out what the asking price was, they turned up their noses. The Bears ended up doing business with the Panthers instead.
Las Vegas never submitted a formal offer for that top pick, yet after Orlovsky's revelation, the franchise's intentions in April have been made crystal clear. The Raiders wanted to draft who they believed was the top quarterback prospect in the class: C.J. Stroud.
Stroud went second overall to the Texans and has so far been thriving in his rookie campaign with over 1,400 passing yards and seven touchdowns. Five weeks in, he's already set a new record for the most pass attempts without an interception to begin an NFL career (186), beating Dak Prescott and Tom Brady.
Is Stroud worth the king's ransom that the Panthers paid for their No. 1 pick, Bryce Young? Only time will tell.