Why the Raiders Should Go All in to Land C.J. Stroud in the 2023 NFL Draft

For the first time in nine years, the Las Vegas Raiders need a new starting quarterback plan. As the Silver and Black look toward the future in the post-Derek Carr era, they should make an aggressive move for C.J. Stroud, who's an ideal fit for head coach Josh McDaniels' offense.

With $48.4 million in cap space and the No. 7 overall pick, general manager Dave Ziegler has three options to address the game's most important position.

Option 1: sign a high-priced free-agent quarterback such as Jimmy Garoppolo, who's familiar with McDaniels from their time in New England between 2014 and 2017.

Option 2: select the best passer available with his first draft pick.

Option 3: take a big swing by acquiring Aaron Rodgers if the Green Bay Packers make him available.

Ziegler should forget the wait for Rodgers, who could cost two first-round picks along with a third-rounder or a "player of significance," per The Athletic's Matt Schneidman, and $59.5 million in guarantees. Secondly, he's better off bypassing a bidding competition for an injury-prone quarterback in Garoppolo, who's missed 18 games since 2020. And lastly, why allow other teams to dictate your choices in the draft?

Ziegler should take matters into his own hands to land Stroud. With almost $50 million in cap space, the Raiders can afford a calculated risk for a quarterback on a rookie contract. They have the cap resources to overhaul the defense in free agency, which leaves room to dangle premium picks in a move up for a quarterback of their choice.

Recently, Ziegler sat down with Tennessee Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan and nine-year linebacker Will Compton for a Bussin' With The Boys podcast episode and talked about the Raiders' quarterback situation (starts at 2:02:55):

Based on those comments, Ziegler sounds like a general manager with an eye on a sustainable quarterback plan, which raises questions about whether he would give up premium picks for Rodgers, who's 39 years old and evaluates his future after every season.

Because the Raiders have holes on every level of their defense, a question mark at running back with Josh Jacobs set to hit free agency, vacancies on the interior of the offensive line and a void at right tackle with Jermaine Eluemunor on an expiring deal, acquiring an expensive or overpriced quarterback doesn't seem like a feasible strategy for rebuilding a roster.

Vegas will likely sign a veteran stopgap quarterback who can run McDaniels' offense after a faulty football marriage with Carr. The front office can re-sign Jarrett Stidham, who's an uninspiring starting option with only two starts on his four-year resume. It can also add Jacoby Brissett, who's a more experienced starter (48 starts) with a feel for McDaniels' offense (2016).

With that said, neither Stidham nor Brissett would provide the Raiders with a long-term solution at the most important position. They're bland Band-Aids on an open wound in the offense. Ziegler should call the Chicago Bears to strike a blockbuster deal.

Chicago may move forward with quarterback Justin Fields and entertain trade offers for the No. 1 pick in the draft. The Raiders would likely have to give up first-rounders in 2023 and 2024, this year's second-rounder (No. 39 overall), a Day 2 pick in 2024 or 2025 and tight end Darren Waller, but that's the cost of doing business to get your pick of the litter at quarterback.

After taking Stroud at No. 1, the Raiders would still have 10 draft picks (if the Bears agree to give up a 2023 fifth-rounder) to fill positions of need with cheap talent. Ziegler can select Stroud with the No. 1 overall pick and use the remainder of his selections to maneuver up and down the draft order for targeted prospects.

Why should Vegas take Stroud over prospects such as Bryce Young and Will Levis, who are listed among the top three quarterbacks across most media mock drafts? What makes the Ohio State product an ideal fit in McDaniels' offense?

Our scout, Derrik Klassen, highlighted traits and tendencies in Stroud's game that easily translate on the pro level and specifically in McDaniels' system.

"Willing to stand tall and make a throw if he knows it should be open based on pre-snap indicators," Klassen wrote.

"Good at finding easy or safe plays outside the pocket; can find checkdowns or throwaways rather than put the ball at risk."

If you look at how Brady ran McDaniels' offense, he oftentimes beat defenses by a thousand paper cuts—usually short-to-intermediate accurate throws from the pocket—and mostly took care of the football with few head-scratching turnovers. In short stints, Garoppolo and Brissett did the same when they each made a couple of starts in 2016, and so did Mac Jones in 2021.

With that said, McDaniels' offense does allow the passer to open up and throw downfield, which is something we saw from Stidham when he threw for 365 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17 this past season.

AP Photo/Danny Karnik

Stroud can hit on some deep throws with well-placed passes. If you're concerned about his ability to move outside the pocket, watch his performances against Northwestern and Georgia when he had to move off his spot and make plays with his feet. If necessary, Stroud can utilize his functional mobility to get out of trouble, and he's elusive in the pocket.

Klassen saw signs of promise in Stroud's game over the course of the 2022 term, which leads him to believe that the former Buckeye can make an immediate impact on the NFL level.

"In the right environment, Stroud will raise the floor of an offense right away," Klassen wrote. "He's got the pre-snap vision, arm talent and accuracy to be functional sooner rather than later, and the progress he showed as the year went on suggests he has a capacity to improve rapidly."

Our scouting department voted Stroud as the most pro-ready and accurate quarterback in this year's class. And what do the Raiders need? Someone who can play right away and get the ball to star wideout Davante Adams.

Our scouts aren't the only draftniks who think Stroud is the best fit for Vegas among the incoming quarterbacks. ESPN's Dan Orlovsky also thinks Stroud can handle the demands of McDaniels' system, and after a talk with Adams, Orlovsky said on NFL Live the star wideout would welcome the Raiders going young at the position:

On the Upon Further Review podcast, Pro Football Focus' Mike Renner also pointed out Stroud's ability to carve up defenses in the short-to-intermediate passing game.

McDaniels and his offensive staff may have real concerns about Young and Levis that drop them a tick below Stroud on their big board.

We should expect Young's height and weight to become a hot topic at the NFL Scouting Combine—something that McDaniels may discuss with his group. During his time in New England as an offensive coordinator, the team drafted quarterbacks who fit the prototypical mold in size. In the years between 2008 and 2021 that the Patriots employed McDaniels, they selected Kevin O'Connell (6'5", 225 lbs), Garoppolo (6'2", 225 lbs), Brissett (6'4", 235 lbs), Stidham (6'3", 215 lbs) and Jones (6'3", 217 lbs).

Even if Young stands at 6'0", 200 pounds next week at the combine, McDaniels may prefer Stroud (6'3", 218 lbs on his Ohio State bio), who's similar to Stidham in size.

As for Levis, his short-area ball placement and tendency to stick to his first read could raise some concerns within McDaniels' camp. Klassen went further in-depth on those shortcomings.

"The peaks are real NFL translatable reps, but there are too many moments of taking bad shortcuts and locking into receivers as he wishes for them to come open. More worrying, Levis' ball placement isn't quite what you'd like. The peaks are impressive, but Levis too often sprays underneath throws and doesn't have the pinpoint placement to enable YAC smoothly."

When McDaniels evaluates Stroud, he should see a safe prospect with low bust potential and a young passer whose skill set meshes well with his offense. If that's the case, the Raiders head coach should have a serious conversation with Ziegler about bringing the Ohio State product to Vegas.

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Salary-cap info via Over the Cap. Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.