The Las Vegas Raiders’ victory on Sunday may have ruined their chances of landing the top pick in next spring’s NFL draft.
The Raiders beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-14 on Sunday, giving them their third win of the year and snapping a 10-game losing streak. In turn, the Raiders were left out of the projected second pick in the draft at No. 6. Heading into Week 17 of the regular season, the New York Giants are in sole possession of the top pick in the draft.
Although the win upset many Raiders fans, head coach Antonio Pierce insists he doesn’t care about the team’s draft pick when games are on the line.
“We’re not doing this to lose,” Pierce said Monday. via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN. “We’re not doing this for anyone’s fantasy football team. We’re not doing this for anyone’s projections. None of that matters to us. The only thing that matters “It’s about winning, and that’s all we want to do.”
While it undoubtedly takes more than a good first-round draft pick to turn around a franchise, the No. 1 pick could go a long way on that front for the Raiders. Charles McDonald and Nate Tice of Yahoo Sports Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders were two of their top three picks in the upcoming draft, and Heisman winner Travis Hunter between them.
Either quarterback would be excellent options for the Raiders, who have bounced between Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew and Desmond Ridder at the position amid their struggles and various injuries.
The last time the Raiders had the first overall pick was in 2007, when they selected quarterback JaMarcus Russell. He was only the third quarterback selected by the team in the first round of the draft since 1970.
After the Giants, the New England Patriots, Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans are expected to pick ahead of the Raiders in the draft if the season were to end now. The Raiders will close out their season with games against the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers. Even if they lose, it would take help from the Giants and others for the Raiders to move back into first place.
Even though a top pick could mean he loses his job, O’Connell simply keeps his head down.
“I don’t read anything, so I don’t really hear it,” he said Sunday. “Ignorance is definitely bliss, and that’s how I roll.”