The Jayden Daniels to the Raiders Story Won’t Go Away

With the NFL Draft coming up this week, LSU is about to see multiple players move on to the pro ranks. The former Tiger expected to be taken the highest in the draft is Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jayden Daniels.

The betting odds favor Daniels being the #2 overall pick, which is currently held by the Washington Commanders. But for the last few weeks, there has been a growing rumor that Daniels would end up with someone besides the Commanders. The most obvious scenario is that Washington would choose to take North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, which would allow Daniels to fall to the New England Patriots at the third pick.

But there's a lot of chatter about the former LSU quarterback ending up with a franchise that is selecting nowhere near the top 3 picks. The suggestion is that the Las Vegas Raiders would find a way to acquire Daniels.

Its such a serious conversation, Daniels addressed the scenario directly...

While on the Nightcap podcast with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, Daniels talked about the Raiders and the idea they would find a way to draft him:

“I don’t know how they’re gonna pull it off...But I mean that’s above my pay grade, man...A.P. (Raiders Coach Antonio Pierce) just as a human being, he’s the right coach for that team. You know, just him and the intensity that he brings. He challenges people. He was challenging me at 18. So I know if I was to go to the Raiders...I’m not saying I’m gonna go there or I wanna go there, I wanna go wherever name is called...if I was to go to the Raiders, I know as soon as I step foot, he’s gonna challenge me.”

The smoke that's making people think there's a fire stems from Raiders Head Coach Antonio Pierce being the guy that recruited Daniels to Arizona State, where he started his college career. Pierce and Daniels are still close, and a reunion would make sense for the Raiders on the field as well. Even though the Raiders added Gardner Minshew to their depth chart, the team still doesn't have a solid option as the starting quarterback. Something many believe Daniels can be.

But in order for the Raiders to get Daniels, they will either need to trade for one of the top 3 picks, or trade for the rights to sign Daniels after he's selected. With the Raiders' current top draft pick being #13 overall, it would be a bit of a jump to get into position to take Daniels. However, this isn't impossible.

Over the last 15 years, top 3 picks in the NFL Draft have been traded frequently. But usually the team holding the top pick is interested in trading back, because they don't like the options in front of them. This time around, Washington really needs a quarterback, and they like what they see. So to pry that pick away from them, the Raiders would need to come with an incredibly strong offer.

We can't wait to see what happens.