The Las Vegas Raiders are in the middle of a transformative offseason, particularly on offense. The club released longtime starting quarterback Derek Carr and replaced him with Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency. Not only that, but Las Vegas also shipped away star tight end Darren Waller to the Giants and revamped that position with O.J. Howard and Austin Hooper. As the organization rolls into Year 2 with head coach Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler, they're continuing to mold the roster into their own vision and that brings us to the NFL Draft.
The Raiders have no shortage of selections, owning 12 total picks over the course of the three-day spectacle. That includes four picks inside the top 100, headlined by the No. 7 overall pick. While that does give them the flexibility to move all over the board, we have them staying put and making each pick in our full seven-round mock draft. Below, you can see each pick that the Raiders currently have and who we peg as an ideal fit for them to contend in the AFC West in 2023 (h/t Pro Football Network Draft Simulator).
Team needs: QB, DB, IOL, DT, RB, TE
- Round 1, Pick 7
- Round 2, Pick 38
- Round 3, Pick 70
- Round 3, Pick 100 (from KC via NYG)*
- Round 4, Pick 109
- Round 5, Pick 141
- Round 5, Pick 144 (from ATL)
- Round 5, Pick 174
- Round 6, Pick 204 (from DAL)
- Round 6, Pick 214
- Round 7, Pick 220 (from ARI)
- Round 7, Pick 231 (from NE)
Round 1 - Pick 7
 
Will Levis
QB
Kentucky
• Soph
• 6'4"
/ 229 lbs
The Raiders got their immediate replacement for Carr with Garoppolo in free agency. Here, they look toward the future and take Levis, who'll now be afforded the ability to ease his way into the NFL and learn behind the scenes for at least a season. The Kentucky product boasts a cannon for an arm and is built like a tank, so it'll be fascinating to see him paired with an offensive-minded coach like Josh McDaniels.
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Round 2 - Pick 38
 
Pittsburgh
• Soph
• 6'0"
/ 280 lbs
You can never have too many bodies along the defensive line and Kancey has drawn comparisons to fellow Pitt product Aaron Donald throughout the pre-draft process. Even if he even sniffs that type of potential, this will be a home-run addition for Las Vegas and an ideal complement to Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones off the edge.
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Round 3 - Pick 70
 
Steve Avila
IOL
TCU
• Soph
• 6'3"
/ 338 lbs
Outside of Dylan Parham, there's not a ton on the interior of the Raiders offensive line. Avila could come in and compete for one of the starting spots on the interior. He has experience playing both center and guard and has a strong combination of power and athleticism. He's also a high-character player as he was a team captain at TCU.
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Round 3 - Pick 100
 
Darius Rush
CB
South Carolina
• Soph
• 6'2"
/ 198 lbs
Had Levis not fallen to the Raiders at No. 7, cornerback was likely the pivot. However, the team decided to grab their QB of the future which lead us to Rush coming off the board here to help a secondary that ranked 31st in the NFL in DVOA against the pass in 2022. Rush initially entered college as a receiver but shifted over to defense and made that transition smoothly. He totaled 15 pass breakups over the last two seasons and three interceptions. At 6-foot-2 with 33 3/8-inch arms, he has the size to be a physical corner at the next level.
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Round 4 - Pick 109
 
Zack Kuntz
TE
Old Dominion
• Fr
• 6'8"
/ 251 lbs
As we noted in the intro, it was a seismic shift at the tight end position for the Raiders this offseason. While Howard and Hooper are interesting replacements for Waller in 2023, the team does need a developmental piece and that's where Kuntz comes in. At 6-foot-7, he's a massive receiving target with fascinating upside.
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Round 5 - Pick 141
Pittsburgh
• Soph
• 6'0"
/ 230 lbs
Dennis provides the Raiders with some athleticism at the off-ball linebacker spot. At his pro day, he notched a 41.4-inch vertical jump and ran a 4.63 40, which would have been the fastest among inside linebackers at the NFL Combine.
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Round 5 - Pick 144
 
Michigan
• Soph
• 6'3"
/ 309 lbs
With this pick, we're projecting that our third-round selection in Avila competes for a starting guard position while Oluwatimi comes in and competes with Andre James at center. The Michigan product was a four-year starter and was part of a back-to-back Joe Moore Award-winning group, an accolade given to the best offensive line in college football.
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Round 5 - 174
 
Princeton
• Soph
• 6'3"
/ 210 lbs
When you have Davante Adams and added Jakobi Meyers in free agency, the wide receiver position isn't a pressing need, but it's hard to pass up on the upside of Iosivas at this stage of the draft. The Princeton pass catcher is a stellar athlete who ran a 4.43 at the NFL Combine and has good size at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds.
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Round 6 - Pick 204
 
East Carolina
• Soph
• 5'8"
/ 191 lbs
The Raiders did place the franchise tag on Josh Jacobs this offseason, so they have their star back in the fold for 2022. Here, we're adding some depth behind him with Mitchell, who should be looked at as more of lightning to Jacobs' thunder. The East Carolina back is small, but quick notching a 4.37 40 time at the NFL Combine, which was third-fastest among his position group.
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Round 6 - 214
 
Dante Stills
DL
West Virginia
• Soph
• 6'4"
/ 286 lbs
Stills is another body Las Vegas can put on the interior of its defensive line and is the 19th-ranked defensive lineman in this draft, per CBS Sports' prospect rankings. He had 4.5 sacks at West Virginia last season and is the son of former Pro Bowl linebacker Gary Stills.
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Round 7 - Pick 220
 
Iowa State
• Soph
• 6'0"
/ 205 lbs
Johnson adds another body to help the Raiders secondary and will be a depth piece at safety, but also has experience playing corner. The Iowa State defensive back has a good blend of athleticism and physicality and notched 28 interceptions over his collegiate career.
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Round 7 - Pick 231
 
UAB
• Fr
• 5'11"
/ 209 lbs
McBride rushed for at least 120 yards in 10 of his 11 games in 2022 and has a nice combination of power and quickness. The UAB back is the CBS Sports' ninth-ranked player at his position, making this great value at the end of the draft.
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