For months, everybody has been linking the Las Vegas Raiders to Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft. They're widely considered the top quarterback prospects in the class but neither guy led teams that were good enough to be in the College Football Playoff.
This has led to Penn State's Drew Allar getting a lot of eyes on him in recent weeks. He already committed to staying in college for another year but he can still change his mind.
If he does, Allar may do enough in the playoffs to leap Ward and Sanders. The Raiders would be the most obvious landing spot for him. While everybody previously thought Sanders would be the guy, general manager Tom Telesco might have other ideas.
The thing about Telesco is that he's a big traits guy. When he worked in the front office for the Indianapolis Colts, the quarterback was Peyton Manning. When he took over the general manager job with the Los Angeles Chargers, his quarterback was Phillip Rivers. When he finally had a chance to draft a quarterback in the first round, he used that pick on Justin Herbert.
What do all of those quarterbacks have in common? They are all 6-foot-5 or taller and big. Sanders and Ward are both 6-foot-2.
Allar is 6-foot-5 and has a huge arm. He has the best physical traits of any quarterback who could potentially enter the draft. He's raw and needs work but he's exactly the type of quarterback Telesco covets.
If you want to compete in the AFC West, you need a quarterback with big-time upside. Sanders and Ward are good but they'll never be on the level of the Josh Allens and Justin Herberts of the world. Allar has that kind of potential.
The Raiders have to pray that he changes his mind and declares for the draft. Even if Las Vegas can't land him, he could push Ward or Sanders to them so they can at least draft one of the top quarterbacks. However, it's easy to see Telesco selling the farm to make sure he can land Allar. He's going to be a serious player to watch in the coming weeks.