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With the Las Vegas Raiders missing out on the top quarterbacks from this year’s draft class, they’ll likely start doing work on next year’s class soon. The clear top prospects haven’t fully emerged yet but there’s some idea on which quarterbacks could be first-round picks.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is expected to be a first-round pick barring how his 2024 season goes but he should be a player the Raiders watch closely. In Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz’s 2025 mock draft for USA TODAY, Las Vegas is projected to take Ewers with the No. 6 pick.
“Locked out of the running for the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco will have to push through this season with Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O’Connell before evaluating their long-term options next spring,” Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote in an April 28 column. “Ewers still lacks consistency as a decision-maker, but there’s no questioning that his outstanding ability to zip passes into tight windows will help him stand apart from his peers in the pre-draft process.”
Ewers is coming off his best season yet where he threw for 22 touchdowns on a 10-win Texas team. He was very hyped coming out of high school but he’s yet to put up huge numbers in college. A big 2024 season would help his draft stock quite a bit as there’s no questioning his talent.
Quinn Ewers Has Impressive Arm Talent
Ewers has yet to light up the stat sheets despite playing with an abundance of talent at Texas. That’s likely why he decided to stay in college for another season. His decision-making leaves a bit to be desired but he’s still only 21 and is oozing with talent.
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso raved about the quarterback’s arm talent in his scouting report.
“Ewers was blessed by the Football Gods — and his parents — with a naturally live arm,” Trapasso wrote in a December 7 column. “He’s capable of really cranking the velocity from any arm angle and lower-body base. He exudes arm talent. That’s not to say he has the world’s strongest arm. However, the way he effortlessly flicks the football and it jumps off his hands on, say, a deep out-breaking route from the far hash, is likely the key attribute that led to his No. 1 recruit status a few years ago and the main reason I’m even writing this piece. Ewers has a higher-end NFL arm. There are a select few human beings on Earth with a genuinely impressive arm by NFL standards. Ewers is one of them.”
Ewers also suffers from some accuracy issues on deep passes but he’s still young and could prove a lot this year.
Is Quinn Ewers Right for Las Vegas Raiders?
It’s difficult to see many scenarios where the Raiders end up with a top-five draft pick next season. That will likely make it difficult for the team to add the top quarterback in the draft.
Ewers is a player who could be available to the Raiders unless he shows some big improvement in 2024. However, it’s hard to see him as a perfect fit. Head coach Antonio Pierce wants a quarterback who can run but Ewers has 23 rushing yards in his college career.
Also, he’ll likely be a bit of a project at the NFL level. The Raiders might want somebody who needs less development. It’s hard to say right now what the team will be looking for next year and it’s possible that Ewers ends up being the target if he shows improvement this season.
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