C.J. Stroud to Raiders? Inside Scoop on Las Vegas Goof-Up vs. Houston Texans in NFL Draft

C.J. Stroud to Raiders? Inside Scoop on Las Vegas Goof-Up vs. Houston Texans in NFL Draft

It's all crumbled to bits now in Las Vegas, owner Mark Davis now searching yet again for new leadership after overseeing this year's dismissal of coach Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler.

But now different could it have been in Sin City? So different that Houston Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud - already setting the NFL on fire in his debut season - might've been the Raiders quarterback instead.

Sources tell our plugged-in Las Vegas-based SI colleague Hondo Carpenter that Ziegler made a huge push for the Raiders to move up in the 2023 NFL Draft - all the way up to the Nos. 1 or 2 spot - to take the Ohio State prospect Stroud.

“Dave felt (Stroud is) a generational talent ... 'Z' had done his research. He knew the cost to move up to No. 1 and even No. 2,” a source told Carpenter in this deep-dive column. "He could have made the deal.''

McDaniels disagreed, on two counts. One, in the draft he favored Alabama QB Bryce Young, who ended up going as the top pick to Carolina (where he is so-far struggling). And two, “Josh ... was hellbent on (acquiring) Jimmy (Garoppolo)  and despite all of the health issues that he had and Dave’s incessant warnings that it was a mistake, Josh got his way,” RaidersToday at SI writes.

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And now? Another rookie, Aidan O'Connell, is the new Raiders starter. Garoppolo has been benched. And McDaniels and Ziegler have been fired.

Surviving and thriving, meaning, is Stroud, who's led the Texans to a 6-5 record and has thrown 19 touchdowns to just five interceptions. He's getting MVP mentions in Houston, which in theory - given the Raiders' offense featuring Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs  - could've taken place in Las Vegas.