Justin Herbert Rumors: Raiders, Chargers to Hold Meetings Ahead of NFL Draft

Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert reportedly held meetings with officials from the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers via FaceTime ahead of the 2020 NFL draft.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noted that with in-person meetings banned because of the coronavirus pandemic, teams have started using technology for their pre-draft discussions with prospects.

Herbert is the consensus No. 3 quarterback in this class, behind presumptive No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa. The Chargers have the sixth pick in Round 1, and the Raiders have Nos. 12 and 19.

NFL teams are permitted three calls/FaceTime sessions with a player per week. Those sessions cannot last longer than an hour, per a memo sent to NFL teams on how to handle the pre-draft process during the pandemic.

The Chargers, having sat out the free-agent quarterback process after missing out on Tom Brady, appear likely to draft a quarterback in Day 1 or Day 2 of the draft. They allowed Philip Rivers to leave in free agency and have not made a move for Cam Newton or Jameis Winston, two starter-level quarterbacks still available on the open market.

The Raiders have Derek Carr on the books and signed Marcus Mariota as a backup earlier in March, but head coach Jon Gruden's affinity for young quarterbacks is well-established. If Gruden likes one of the guys near the top of the draft, he has the assets to move up and grab one. Carr would then become trade fodder, with Mariota perhaps slotting in as a stopgap early in the season.

Herbert was a four-year starter at Oregon, combing archetypal size and a strong arm with above-average athleticism. While his college career was never remarkable, he closed it out with Offensive MVP honors in the Rose Bowl and an MVP in the Senior Bowl.

From a physical perspective, Herbert and Utah State's Jordan Love are the most talented quarterbacks in this class. If he finds the right system, it's possible he will wind up being the best signal-caller of the 2020 draft.