Former Raiders general manager Tom Telesco, who has been quiet since being fired in January, dropped a good nugget about the team’s quarterback strategy in last year’s draft Thursday.
Telesco, during an appearance on The 33rd Team’s “Check the Mic” podcast, said he was willing to move up from the 13th overall pick to select LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. He was hesitant to give up draft capital to take any of the other quarterbacks available, however.
“Jayden Daniels. That would have been easy,” Telesco said.
Telesco’s interest in Daniels ended up being a moot point. The Commanders stayed put and selected the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner with the second pick in the draft. Daniels went on to win offensive rookie of the year and led Washington to its first appearance in the NFC title game since 1991.
The Patriots selected North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the third pick. Telesco didn’t love the remaining quarterback options — which included Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and Oregon’s Bo Nix — enough to trade up for them.
“(I didn’t want) to give up that many assets, because we were going to have to give up a lot of draft picks. We needed as many as possible to try to build up the team,” Telesco said. “So that would have been a hard move to make to trade up for one of those quarterbacks. Other than Jayden Daniels, that was going to be a non-starter.”
Penix, McCarthy and Nix all ended up coming off the board before the Raiders selected at No. 13. Penix went to the Falcons at No. 8, the Vikings traded up one spot to take McCarthy at No. 10 and the Broncos picked Nix at No. 12.
The Raiders selected Georgia tight end Brock Bowers with all the quarterbacks gone, which turned out to be a wise choice.
Bowers set an NFL record for receptions by a rookie with 112 and was a first-team All-Pro.
What could have been
The Raiders, cognizant of the state of their roster heading into last year’s draft, were reluctant to use their first-round pick on what they viewed as the fifth- or sixth-best quarterback in the draft.
They thought it would be smarter to use their picks to build a better surrounding cast for whoever their quarterback of the future ended up being, whether it was a 2025 draft pick or a veteran they acquired in the offseason.
That was the path the Raiders ultimately chose. They used their first-round pick on Bowers, their second-round pick on Oregon offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson and their third-round pick on Maryland offensive tackle DJ Glaze.
Powers-Johnson and Glaze are expected to start for the Raiders next season at center and right tackle, respectively.
Telesco did say he would have been tempted at No. 13 if Nix was still available. Nix threw 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions as a rookie and led Denver to its first postseason appearance in nine seasons. The Broncos also won both their meetings with the Raiders.
“Bo Nix, his background of work, his durability, his movement skills (stood out),” Telesco said. “That one was interesting, and he’s gone to the perfect team. That would have been a good possibility.”
Penix was also on the Raiders’ radar, but they were wary of his injury history. He dealt with knee, shoulder and collarbone injuries in college.
Penix only started three games for Atlanta last year, throwing three touchdowns and three interceptions. He did not play in the Falcons’ 15-9 win over the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Dec. 16. Veteran Kirk Cousins started that game before being benched for Penix down the stretch.
The Raiders finished 4-13, which led to Telesco and coach Antonio Pierce getting fired after their first full season in charge. New coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek were hired in January and traded for veteran quarterback Geno Smith, who will be the team’s starter next season.
“We did a lot of work and talked a lot about (Penix), but in the end, probably not (going to take him),” Telesco said. “Now looking back, had I known I had only one year there, maybe that would have been different. I don’t know.”
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
