Heading into last offseason, it was obvious that one of the Las Vegas Raiders’ greatest needs was to upgrade at the quarterback position and, ideally, land a franchise solution. In the early stages of free agency, the Raiders settled upon signing Gardner Minshew to a two-year, $25 million contract.
Part of the reason the Raiders may have ‘splurged’ a bit on a journeyman backup with low-end starter upside was their realization that a top quarterback prospect may not fall to them with the 13th pick. It turns out, the Raiders were right, with an NFL record-tying six quarterbacks drafted in the first round, but all before Las Vegas was on the clock.
Nevertheless, the Raiders opted against drafting a different quarterback, making the decision to stick with a depth chart led by Minshew and 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell. Entering Week 13 at 2-9, one might argue the Raiders’ decision backfired, even though Brock Bowers has has emerged as a legitimate NFL Rookie of the Year candidate.
While the Raiders can’t go back and change what happened last April, they can make sure history doesn’t repeat itself in 2025.
Related: 2025 NFL Mock Draft: Who should the Raiders draft
‘Hell or high water’ Las Vegas Raiders are drafting a QB
Las Vegas Raiders general manager Tom Telesco made a calculated decision not to select any quarterbacks with any of the team’s eight draft picks last April. There’s no way to know whether this was a case of the team not being high on the remaining QB prospects or if the Raiders just missed out on their targets.
However, it’s also possible that the Raiders simply opted to make 2024 the year where they placed an emphasis on taking the best player available to strengthen the roster, knowing they’d get another chance to land a top QB in 2025. The Raiders are currently projected to have the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. This places Las Vegas in prime position to land one of the quarterbacks projected to become first-round picks.
That’s exactly what Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer expects the Raiders to do, yet he doesn’t necessarily indicate they’re guaranteed to take one in the first round.
“I think the Raiders are taking a quarterback in April, come hell or high water. “
SI’s Albert Breer on Las Vegas Raiders
The perfect scenario would see the Raiders’ dream QB prospect fall right into their laps in the first round, but there are only two signal-callers projected to be top picks. So, would they consider reaching for a player who isn’t expected to be among the NFL’s top 32 picks? Crazier things have happened, but a lot can change between now and April.
Related: Top-selling NFL jerseys 2024: Who has the NFL’s best-selling jersey?