The Las Vegas Raiders answered the question of who would be their starting quarterback in 2025 when they traded a third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for Geno Smith. Over the past couple of seasons Smith has resurrected career and is also familiar with new Raiders head coach Pete Carroll from his time in Seattle.
Smith however, is 35 years old and while he is better than the options the team employed a season ago, isn’t someone most would consider an elite level quarterback. But his addition does allow for the Raiders to target other positions in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Whether the Raiders choose to do that is apparently still up in the air as according to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, the franchise is still considering drafting a quarterback, potentially even with their first round pick:
With that being said, the Raiders’ acquisition of Smith doesn’t eliminate the possibility of them taking a quarterback in the 2025 draft. They’re still considering a quarterback as early as the first round, according to league sources.
After all, the Raiders knew they were aiming to add a veteran quarterback last week and still met with prospects at the combine, including Miami’s Cam Ward, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart. According to league sources, the Raiders came away particularly impressed with Milroe and Ewers after going over X’s and O’s and film. Other quarterbacks could impress as well during pro day workouts and top-30 visits.
The Raiders still eyeing a younger quarterback makes sense as Smith is unlikely to be the team’s long-term answer at this stage of his career. But unless they really believe in Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders as a franchise guy, and that one of them is far better than the other prospects available when they get on the clock, it would seem a bit silly to go that route in the first round.
The Raiders still have other holes to fill and focusing on other areas, particularly with their first-round pick, makes the most sense. If they are high on someone like Milroe or Ewers and they are available when the Raiders are on the clock in the second or third-round then taking one is a good idea. But making life easier on Smith should be a priority as well.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty has supporters within Raiders organization
One of those positions the Raiders could still stand to upgrade is at running back as the team ranked dead last in rushing last year. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is the top prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft and at least some within the Raiders are high on him.
A recent report noted that Jeanty has supporters within the Raiders organization and the team could be eyeing him with their sixth overall pick. The team has added Raheem Mostert in free agency, but Jeanty, who was the Heisman Trophy runner-up and is coming off one of the best seasons for a back in college football history, would step in immediately and give the run game a major boost.
