The Las Vegas Raiders now have their head coach and general manager locked in, which means the next order of business is figuring out who will be the starting quarterback. The team could go the veteran route and has already been linked to Russell Wilson, who worked with Pete Carroll for 10 years in Seattle.
However, that’s only a short-term solution to a long-term problem. At some point, the Raiders will need to be aggressive in the draft. Considering Carroll never won fewer than seven games during his time with the Seahawks, Las Vegas may not pick as high as they do this year during his tenure.
This could be the year to make a move for a quarterback. Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports projects that the Raiders will trade with the Tennessee Titans for the No. 1 pick and use the No. 1 pick to draft Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
“We cannot rule out the possibility of the Raiders — and new minority owner Tom Brady — making an aggressive push to draft Shedeur Sanders,” Trapasso wrote in a Jan. 24 mock draft. “There’s a chance Sanders’ connection with Brady will make it too dicey for Las Vegas to simply hope and wait for him to fall to No. 6 overall.”
Shedeur Sanders a ‘Polarizing’ Prospect
The battle for the No. 1 pick seems to be between Sanders, Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter. However, Ward and Sanders might not be considered top picks in another draft.
This is considered a weak quarterback class, especially in comparison to last season. Former scout and NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah doesn’t believe that every team loves Sanders.
“There’s pretty split opinions around the league (on Sanders), he’s pretty polarizing actually,” Jeremiah said on the Jan. 23 episode of the “Pat McAfee Show.” “To me, when you watch him, the things that are irrefutable: he’s got just a pure, pure throwing motion. He is a natural thrower. It’s real pretty the way the ball comes out of his hand. He’s extremely accurate. He’s incredibly tough, he got the living tar kicked out of him over the last few years at Colorado. Those few things you can’t refute.”
While Jeremiah had praise for Sanders, he did point out some of his concerns.
“Now the people that aren’t as high on Shedeur as going to say he doesn’t have elite size, he doesn’t have an elite arm, and he’s not an elite athlete,” Jeremiah added. “So it’s like everything he does is right here, and he doesn’t do those other things over the line. That’s where some of the disconnect comes from throughout the league. I think if you get him in the right place, you protect him, he’s a point guard, he can be very, very efficient.”
No. 1 Pick May Be Too High for Sanders
If the Raiders ended the season with the No. 1 pick, they possibly could’ve justified drafting Sanders. However, they will now have to trade up, which will cost a lot. Is Sanders good enough to justify that move?
Almost certainly not. If the Raiders can stand pay at No. 6 and he falls to them, he’d be a logical pick but trading up for him might be too risky.
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Raiders Predicted to Make ‘Aggressive’ Trade for 22-Year-Old Star QB