The Las Vegas Raiders are in a position to finish the 2024 season with a very high draft pick. The team has one of the weaker quarterback rooms in the NFL so it’s widely expected they’ll target a quarterback early.
However, this is considered a weaker quarterback class and the Raiders could get cold feet about using a top-five pick on one of the prospects. Instead, they could target a generational talent who could potentially help fill two needs.
In his latest Raiders mock draft, Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus projects the team to select Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter.
“The Raiders have an obvious need at quarterback, but I think Hunter is too good a prospect to pass up if you have the top selection in the draft,” McGuinness wrote in a Dec. 10 column. “He has earned an 88.3 PFF receiving grade and a 90.9 PFF coverage grade and has a shot to at least play a bit on both sides of the ball at the next level.”
It remains to be seen if Hunter will be able to play on both sides of the ball the way he has in college. If he can, the Raiders would get a shutdown cornerback and a very good wide receiver in the process. That would certainly have to appeal to Las Vegas, especially if they don’t love the quarterback prospects.
Drew Allar to Raiders?
Even if the Raiders don’t take a quarterback with their top pick, they need to leave the draft with at least one appealing player at the position. Perhaps the most intriguing Day 2 prospect is Penn State quarterback Drew Allar.
That’s who McGuinness projects Las Vegas to take with their second pick in the third round.
“If the Raiders do indeed pass on a quarterback with the first overall selection, then they should still look to leave Day 2 of the draft with a developmental option,” McGuinness wrote. “Allar has been smart with the football throughout his Penn State career, with a turnover-worthy play on just 1.1% of his dropbacks.”
Allar Has Been Compared to Josh Allen
As far as Day 2 quarterbacks go, Allar could be the most appealing in the draft. He’s big at 6-foot-5 and has a huge arm. In fact, he’s drawn comparisons to Buffalo Bills star quarterback Josh Allen, per Kyle Crabbs of The 33rd Team.
“One of Allar’s challenges as a passer is simply getting him on the ground,” Crabbs wrote in a Dec. 1 column. “This is not a quick-twitch athlete within the pocket, but his ability to slide and shrug off defenders who get free runs at his throwing platform has echoes of Big Ben and Josh Allen, along with the big arm.”
Teams have been burned drafting quarterbacks compared to Allen in recent years but a third-round pick isn’t a big risk. Taking Allar in the first round would be very questionable but taking him on Day 2 would alleviate a lot of potential pressure and give him time to develop. That said, the Raiders need to feel good about their offensive coaching staff if they’re going to take on a massive project like Allar.
