Blockbuster Pitch Sees Raiders Flip 2 Firsts in Monumental Draft Day Trade
The Las Vegas Raiders probably aren’t going to draft a franchise quarterback in April unless they make a drastic move to acquire one. Las Vegas picks 6th overall, though the price to move up for their QB of choice is likely going to cost them both that selection and another first-rounder next season. The New York Giants are likely to select a signal-caller with the third pick, while ESPN’s Mina Kimes said on her podcast last week that she’s nearly certain the Cleveland Browns will also be looking at a quarterback with the second selection. That leaves only the Tennessee Titans at No. 1 as an option for the Raiders to jump up, which is precisely the move that Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report pitched so that Las Vegas can secure Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
“Playing in a division where three teams made the postseason last year, the Raiders aren’t going anywhere until they secure some stability at football’s most important position,” Davenport wrote on Sunday, Feb. 23. “It’s a risky play. But if the Raiders believe in Sanders, it’s one worth taking.”
Several NFL teams are believed to favor Miami’s Cam Ward over Sanders. However, Sanders has a relationship with Tom Brady, the newest minority owner in Las Vegas. The Raiders are also a favorite of Sanders’ father and Colorado head coach, Deion Sanders, in terms of which franchise he hopes will draft his son.
Raiders Believed To Have Made Decision On QB Target In NFL Draft
The Las Vegas Raiders enter the offseason in need of a starting quarterback for 2025. New head coach Pete Carroll is inheriting a team that saw Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell take turns being benched in 2024. The Raiders are expected to add help in the free agency market. With the No. 6 pick in the draft, Las Vegas is in a position to add a rookie signal-caller in April. Tony Pauline with Sportskeeda is reporting that league circles believe the Raiders have a preferred choice between the top two quarterback prospects in the draft, Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward. The Raiders would be willing to trade up for Ward but would take Sanders if he fell to them at No. 6. “The overall belief from people in the league is that the Las Vegas Raiders will be one of the teams actively attempting to trade up with the hopes of selecting quarterback Cam Ward,” Pauline wrote.
“The team needs a quarterback and wanted to move up for Jayden Daniels one year ago, though it was a completely different regime running the show in Las Vegas. There are some who believe that if they can’t make a trade for Ward, there’s a reasonable chance that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders could fall to the Raiders at No. 6.”
