Getty Raiders potential draftee Donovan Smith
At the end of the 2023 season, it was clear that the Raiders needed to at least investigate their options at quarterback, where Aidan O’Connell had won the job and closed out the year but had not knocked off anyone’s socks as a rookie. The Raiders then signed Gardner Minshew to be a bridge quarterback, but the assumption that another rookie quarterback would be added in the draft fell through last month. So now, we do not know whom, exactly, Minshew is meant to be a bridge to.
The first night of the NFL draft was especially bizarre as six quarterbacks went off the board in the first 12 picks, leaving the Raiders in the cold at No. 13.
So, the Raiders have Minshew and O’Connell and … well, we may have to wait until the 2025 NFL draft to answer that. The quarterback talent there is not expected anywhere near the level in 2024, but the Raiders could still be in position to add one, if neither Minshew nor O’Connell proves to be a satisfying option.
Raiders Could Go Sleeper Route in 2025
With that in mind, the Raiders are predicted to Pro Football Network, in its preliminary 2025 NFL mock draft, to add a potential sleeper heading into the upcoming collegiate season: Houston quarterback Donovan Smith, who could challenge the duo of Georgia’s Carson Beck and Texas’ Quinn Ewers as the top quarterback in next year’s draft.
PFN’s Ian Cummings wrote: “Right now, Beck is the runaway preliminary QB1 of the 2025 NFL Draft class, but there are a few under-the-radar prospects in the early-round conversation on my initial board. Donovan Smith is one of them, and in this mock, he heads back home to Las Vegas.
“At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, Smith is an athletic mover and an adaptable passer who quietly flashes high-end anticipation, situational precision, and pocket navigation skills. If he can cut down on occasional ill-advised decisions, his ceiling is incredibly high.”
Smith will be a fifth-year senior for the Cougars, having spent his first three years with Texas Tech. He threw for 2,801 yards in 12 games last year, and ran for another 428 yards. He passed for 22 touchdowns and rushed for six more, but threw a hefty 13 interceptions. That number will have to go down considerably for Smith to get Top 10 consideration in the draft.
Donovan Smith Has Much to Improve
Also a necessity: Smith and Houston will need to hold up better in the Big 12, a task that proved difficult last year, the school’s first as a member of the conference. Houston was just 4-8.
It won’t help, too, that Smith has a shoulder injury that is keeping him out of spring practice. But on the plus side, Willie Fritz is taking over as Houston’s coach, running an offense that just got Michael Pratt drafted by the Packers.
Still, Smith as a first-rounder could well be a stretch. The NFL draft analysis site First Round Mock projects him as a fourth-rounder—he has much to improve.
PFN’s Ian Cummings wrote: “Prototype size, arm strength, and athleticism with underdeveloped footwork passing. Operates out of shotgun formation. Good ball-handling skills. Tough. Poised. Focused. Downfield minded. Spreads the ball around. … The offense bogs down for long stretches when he gets out of rhythm. The film doesn’t match his attributes.”