Ahead of Alabama’s Pro Day on Thursday, quarterback Bryce Young met with the Raiders on Wednesday, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Las Vegas holds the No. 7 pick in the upcoming NFL draft.
After that meeting, Young met with the Panthers, who hold the top pick in April’s draft. It’s unlikely that Young will still be on the board when the Raiders are on the clock since there are three teams ahead of them that are in need of a quarterback in the immediate future: the Panthers at No. 1, the Texans at No. 2 and the Colts at No. 4.
The Raiders also just signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a three-year deal. He likely won’t be the team’s long-term solution at quarterback at 31 years old with a history of injuries. So it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Las Vegas could be playing the long-game at the position with the upcoming NFL draft.
The Raiders could very well look to make a move to trade up in the draft if Young doesn’t get picked first overall, but such a move would be hard to pull off—assuming Carolina doesn’t take him with the top pick.
In Sports Illustrated’s latest mock draft, Kevin Hanson has the Panthers selecting Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud No. 1 and the Texans taking Young at No. 2. But he still has the Raiders going quarterback at No. 7, taking Kentucky’s Will Levis.
