Raiders To Host C.J. Stroud, Hendon Hooker

It can be safely assumed the Raiders are giving strong consideration to drafting a quarterback in either the first or second round. The AFC West team will have met with each of the top five prospects at the position before the pre-draft process wraps.

The Raiders have scheduled visits with C.J. Stroud and Hendon Hooker, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter). Will Levis has already met with the Silver and Black, while Anthony Richardson‘s first visit will send him to Las Vegas. Bryce Young is heading to Nevada on Thursday. Hooker and Stroud will be Vegas-bound next week.

Stroud is widely considered to be out of the Raiders’ range. The latest Ohio State-developed QB standout has been frequently connected to the Panthers at No. 1 overall. Were Carolina to pass and go with Young, Houston would undoubtedly be interested at No. 2. Though, the Texans may not be fully committed to going quarterback at 2. While Josh McDaniels and Nick Caserio worked together for much of their careers, it would surprise if the Raiders were able to pull off a trade with the Texans to move up five spots. But a climb to No. 3 (the Cardinals’ slot) has been rumored.

The Raiders, who have not taken a first-round quarterback since their disastrous JaMarcus Russell choice in 2007, have built an onramp for a potential QB choice. They have Jimmy Garoppolo on a three-year deal that features barely $33MM guaranteed, and the team agreed to terms with Brian Hoyer earlier this week. The team has other needs to address with early-round draft picks, and its 2022 Davante Adams trade prevented McDaniels and Co. from making first- or second-round picks last year. But McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler were regulars at QB pro days; the team will now devote a sixth of its 30 allotted pre-draft visits to the game’s premier position.

Following ex-Buckeyes Dwayne Haskins and Justin Fields, Stroud will be taken early in the first round — most likely within the top two picks. Stroud quarterbacked Ohio State into the College Football Playoff last season and led the Big Ten power in a semifinal shootout against eventual champion Georgia, throwing four touchdown passes against a dominant Bulldogs defense. Stroud threw at least 40 touchdown passes in each of his two starter seasons, though he targeted nothing but first-round wideouts (Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave), first-round prospects (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) or potential future Round 1-level talents (Marvin Harrison, Emeka Egbuka).

Las Vegas also holds this draft’s No. 38 overall pick. That could be relevant regarding Hooker, who is coming off a November ACL tear. The Tennessee prospect visited the Saints this week and will meet with the Commanders as well. New Orleans holds the Nos. 29 and 40 overall picks; Washington has picks 16 and 47. NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah grades Hooker as this year’s 44th-best prospect. He is the only QB in that range and represents an interesting option for teams unable to land one of the draft’s higher-regarded arms.

Hooker finished fifth in last year’s Heisman voting, despite missing two games due to the severe injury, but laid the groundwork for Ohio State’s CFP bid by leading an upset over Alabama. Hooker is 25, which has given some teams pause, but the former Virginia Tech recruit finished his SEC career with a 58-to-5 touchdown pass-to-interception ratio. He led the Volunteers to five wins over ranked teams as a senior. Putting Hooker behind an injury-prone Garoppolo would be an interesting strategy for the Raiders, but Garoppolo staying relatively healthy would also allow for an extended Hooker developmental period.