Things could not have gone much better for Jimmy Garoppolo during the 2023 NFL Draft. Not only did the team pass on a quarterback in Round 1, but they also passed on the opportunity to acquire Will Levis in Round 2. That shows a lot of belief in the organization that Garoppolo is their guy and they are moving forward with him.
In a recent article by Bill Barnwell of ESPN, he wrote about the biggest veteran winners from the 2023 NFL Draft. That list included Garoppolo, whose team did not select a quarterback in the first three rounds of the draft. Here is a snippet of why Barnwell believes Garoppolo is a winner after the NFL Draft:
Garoppolo is another quarterback whose role with the team over the next couple of seasons might have been compromised by a first-round pick at quarterback, but the Raiders resisted the urge to draft Will Levis at No. 7 overalls. When they traded up with the Colts in the second round, they used the No. 35 pick to land tight end Michael Mayer, then added another wide receiver in Round 3 with Tre Tucker.
I’m not sure the best things for the Raiders as an organization include moving up for a tight end and using a Day 2 pick on another wide receiver, but it’s certainly going to make their new quarterback’s life easier. Garoppolo won’t have the same breadth or quality of options he had last year in San Francisco, but assuming the Raiders bring back Josh Jacobs on his franchise tag, Jimmy G won’t be far off.
While the Raiders did not add an offensive lineman during the 2023 NFL Draft, they did add even more weapons to surround Garoppolo with this season. Michael Mayer should be an upgrade over OJ Howard and Austin Hooper and Tre Tucker gives Las Vegas even more speed at receiver.
As long as the Raiders can adequately protect Garoppolo, this should be one of the best statistical seasons of his career. With all of the weapons surrounding him, the Raiders need Garoppolo to have a big season in 2023 if they want to get back to the playoffs.
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Story originally appeared on Raiders Wire