Silver minings: Week 16 updated NFL Draft order, Raiders’ path to QB gets murkier

Las Vegas’ win slides the team down the draft order

While the Las Vegas Raiders ended their 10-game losing streak and won the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Jaguars are the “winners” of the Tank Bowl. The Raiders are expected to be in the quarterback market during the NFL Draft, but Las Vegas’ path to selecting one got murkier with Sunday’s victory.

Let’s take a look at the updated draft order after Week 16’s action.

Top 10 Order

Order below is via Tankathon.com.

1. New York Giants 2-13
2. New England Patriots 3-12
3. Jacksonville Jaguars 3-12
4. Tennessee Titans 3-12
5. Cleveland Browns 3-12
6. Las Vegas Raiders 3-12
7. Carolina Panthers 4-11
8. New York Jets 4-11
9. Chicago Bears 4-11
10. New Orleans Saints 5-9*

*The Saints play the Packers on Monday Night Football.

The Raiders hold the sixth pick and are at the ‘top’ of the 3-12 teams because they have the best strength of schedule of the bunch at .545. Right now, they’re behind three quarterback-need teams in the Giants, Titans and Browns.

The good news is Tennessee plays Jacksonville in Duval County next week, so Las Vegas can move up the order with a loss in New Orleans and a Titans win. Meanwhile, the Browns have the Dolphins at home and the Ravens on the road to close out the season. The Giants host the Colts and head to Philadelphia over the next two weeks.

In Other Raiders’ Links:

• Locker room doesn’t care about tanking: “But the truth is, the Raiders’ chances to pick a top quarterback in April (their biggest need) took a big hit Sunday,” Silver and Black Pride’s Bill Williamson wrote. “The reality is, Pierce could be fired and O’Connell is likely to be replaced. They aren’t thinking about next year’s quarterback.”
• When a win feels like a loss: rounding up posts/tweets from X/Twitter after the game with some mixed reactions between the locker room and fanbase.
• Raiders open as underdogs: Despite yesterday’s win, the Saints open next week’s game as home favorites against Las Vegas, according to our friends at FanDuel Sports.
• Brock Bowers accomplishes milestone: “Bowers hauled in a 32-yard pass from quarterback Aidan O’Connell in the first quarter to reach 1,000, becoming the first 2024 rookie pass catcher to hit the mark this season, as well,” NFL Media’s Grant Gordon wrote, “In the fourth quarter, Bowers caught his 10th pass of the game and his 100th for the season, becoming the first rookie tight end to reach the mark.”