Raiders rumored trade into Top 5 comes with a huge caveat

The Las Vegas Raiders have become a team to keep an eye on in the first round of the NFL Draft. The team has a bright future with Antonio Pierce as head coach, who won over team brass after taking over on an interim basis after Josh McDaniels' firing. The team brought in former Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to pair alongside edge rusher Maxx Crosby and a new quarterback in Gardner Minshew on a two-year deal.

Even with Minshew, who nearly led the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs last season, the Raiders have been linked to taking a quarterback in the first round. As it turns out, they have been linked to make a trade-up in the first round to take one. However, there is one caveat.

ESPN's Dan Graziano notes in his latest NFL Draft buzz column with Jeremy Fowler ($) the Raiders have spoken with the Arizona Cardinals about what it would take to acquire the fourth overall pick. That's because the team "would love to move up high enough to take" LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, who would reunite with Pierce, a former Arizona State assistant coach. But their pursuit of the No. 4 pick would "cool off" if Daniels is off the board.

"The Raiders would love to be able to get up high enough to take Daniels and reunite him with coach Antonio Pierce, who was on the Arizona State coaching staff back when Daniels began his college career there. But they know they might not be able to do that, especially if Washington has decided on him at No. 2," writes Graziano. "The Raiders have talked with the Cardinals about what it would take to get to No. 4, but Arizona has said it wants to wait until it is on the clock (i.e., see which quarterbacks went in the first three picks) before considering trade offers. The Raiders' interest in the No. 4 pick would, I believe, cool off significantly if Daniels is among the top three picks, as expected."

Raiders pursuit of trade into the Top 5 hinges on Jayden Daniels being on the board

There has been some buzz in recent days about the link between Daniels and the Raiders. That's because Daniels and Pierce have familiarity with one another.

This month, there were rumors that Daniels' camp was unhappy with the Commanders over how they handled his top 30 visit, which featured 20 other prospects at the same time. That included fellow quarterbacks Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., and J.J. McCarthy.

After that happened, ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter noted that it felt like Daniels had "interest in other places," one of them being the Raiders.

The thing is, the Commanders trading all the way down from the No. 2 spot to the No. 13 spot is a hard sell. That, and even with the drama surrounding the group visit, the Commanders are still expected to draft Daniels. With that, the dream of a Sun Devils reunion in Sin City is over.

Graziano does note that the Raiders "are thought to be high on" Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. But, would they trade up to draft Penix?

The Raiders are at least open to adding a quarterback in the NFL Draft, but it remains to be seen if it will be in the first round, especially if Daniels is off the board.