With the 26th-overall pick in the first round of the combined AFL/NFL draft, the Raiders took Tennessee State quarterback Eldridge Dickey. Much was made of the fact that Dickey was Black and there had yet to be a full-time Black quarterback in either of the leagues. Upon his selection, Dickey said he was “thrilled” to be picked by the Raiders and said, “personally, I don't care where the Raiders play me. I just want to help the club win.” He added that he had played at receiver as well as quarterback in college and had returned both kickoffs and punts.

His route to a quarterbacking job was complicated when the team took Alabama quarterback Ken Stabler in the second round. Stabler had been thought to go in the first round, but he had been selected by the Astros in the baseball draft, too, and teams apparently didn't want to waste a first-round pick on a player who might not sign. The Raiders went on to pick Maryland State tackle Art Shell in the third round and Utah running back Charlie Smith in the fourth.