3 Las Vegas Raiders potential first-round targets in 2023 NFL Draft

2023 NFL draft: C.J. Stroud #7 of the Ohio State Buckeyes rolls out in the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
2023 NFL draft: C.J. Stroud #7 of the Ohio State Buckeyes rolls out in the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /
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Raiders
2023 NFL mock draft; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Devon Witherspoon (31) celebrates a win against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois

The Raiders are in an interesting position, and I will be watching to see what they do with this pick.  As I said previously if they don’t bring in a veteran quarterback, their first pick has to be a quarterback.  If C.J. Stroud is not available and both Young and Levis are gone as well, do they go with quarterback Anthony Richardson of Florida?  I think they have to, but I also think they could bring in a veteran quarterback who has familiarity with Josh McDaniels.

So, my next two players profiled here will both be defensive players.  With the seventh overall pick, the Raiders could possibly go with Devon Witherspoon.  He’s considered the best cornerback in this year’s draft and the Raiders need some help in the secondary.

Witherspoon is someone that can come in and start right away.  He’s got 2,334 snaps under his belt and 41 games.  He comes with a ton of experience and has the type of skills he can be left by himself in man coverage and handle his business just fine.

He can run too. The NFL Combine is just around the corner and Witherspoon could very well run a sub-4.4 time, which is simply blazing.  Witherspoon would be an instant upgrade in the Raiders’ secondary and is a player that could be the 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year.