The Las Vegas Raiders went from a team that had its quarterback situation seemingly figured out after trading for Geno Smith to a 2-4 team that is going to be viewed as a prime candidate to select their quarterback of the future when the 2026 NFL Draft comes around.
Las Vegas likely won't be bad enough to get a shot at the top prospects in this class, meaning the two hottest names in Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Oregon's Dante Moore will likely not be available by the time the Raiders pick. That doesn't mean they can't land someone who could be a long-term answer.
ESPN's Jordan Reid cooked up a 2026 NFL Mock Draft that has the Raiders using the No. 9 overall pick on South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers. The Raiders passed up LSU's Garrett Nussmeier and Alabama's Ty Simpson in this projection, the latter of whom went No. 30 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Raiders projected to select South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers in 2026 NFL Mock Draft
Sellers is the type of boom-or-bust prospect that might make some general managers a bit nervous, but the 20-year-old prospect has the potential to break all of Derek Carr's passing records if he hits his full potential with the Raiders. John Spytek must take this risk.
While Sellers has thrown just four touchdown passes this season, he is dealing with a Gamecocks team that has only one future NFL player on the roster -- wide receiver Nyck Harbor -- and a suspect offensive line. The high-level throws and highlight-reel plays are still very much there when one looks at his film.
He is very much a developmental prospect who needs to show that he can improve his decision-making after the snap and his ability to throw with good timing. If he can check both of those boxes, look for the Raiders to trip over themselves trying to select him as their next franchsie quarterback.
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Not only is Sellers a gigantic prospect at just under 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, but he has the strongest arm in the entire class along with the best mobility. General managers will always draft traits over anything else, and no one in this class possesses his dual-threat ability.
Since the Raiders made the Super Bowl in 2002, the best quarterback they've had outside of clear frontrunner Derek Carr has been... Jason Campbell? The team has always preferred Band-Aids at the most important position on the field instead of finding a legitimate solution.
The Silver and Black have been afraid of drafting quarterbacks in the first round, as they have not done so since 2007, when they took JaMarcus Russell. If Sellers is as good as his traits indicate he could be, the Raiders may find someone who could be a high-end starter for the next 10 years.