The Las Vegas Raiders need to take a long, hard look at themselves this offseason and realize that this rebuild is likely going to take a few years. The franchise, no matter who has been in charge, has been habitually afraid of a complete teardown, but that is likely their best course of action.
Of course, they could always get lucky and strike gold with a young signal-caller and a handful of other draft picks and free agent signings, but Raider Nation knows better than to bank on something like that happening.
However, in the latest 2026 NFL mock draft, written by NFL Mocks' Tarringo Basile-Vaughan, Las Vegas takes matters into its own hands, getting proactive in finding its quarterback of the future. In fact, they risk it all for one young player.
Raiders make bold trade for No. 1 pick, take Alabama QB Ty Simpson in latest mock draft
Basile-Vaughan predicted that the Raiders would send their first-round picks in 2026 and 2027, as well as their second-round pick in 2026, to trade up to the No. 1 spot in the draft. With the pick, they selected Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
"This big gamble is a risk for the Raiders, but also a desperate move. In Ty Simpson, the Raiders see a quarterback who has the tools to lead them into the future. They could decide to lure a veteran quarterback like Kyler Murray, but after the Geno Smith experiment, it's time the Raiders finally took a shot at a young quarterback prospect, and Simpson could be that dude," Basile-Vaughan wrote. "At Alabama this season, Simpson has propelled himself as a possible No. 1 overall pick due to his accuracy as a passer, his high-level processing ability in the pocket and his poise in making plays with his legs. Again, a gamble for the Raiders, but this team has talent in areas to be successful with the right quarterback under center."
Talk about putting all your eggs into one basket. On the one hand, Raider Nation could hardly be upset, as quarterback is the most important position on the field, and the team has failed to draft one in the first round since the 2007 JaMarcus Russell debacle.
RELATED: Pete Carroll said the worst thing possible after Raiders' meltdown vs. Browns
On the other hand, however, Las Vegas has so many holes in the roster that essentially giving up two other premier draft picks could be a bit reckless. If they really believe that Simpson is the guy, then of course they should go all in.
If Simpson turned out to be great, this would look like a stroke of pure genius. But if it doesn't work out and Simpson fails to live up to this incredibly high billing, the decision-makers in the building probably wouldn't survive this big swing, and the roster would be in more tatters than it is now.
There is also a possibility that Simpson stays in school another year, as although he's talented, he only has a season of college starting experience under his belt. The track records of quarterbacks with less than 25 college starts are iffy, at best, so this would be a bold, bold move.
Yet, it may be the kind of chaotic thing that the Raiders need to return to relevancy. In a way, they can't possibly know until they try. But at the same time, a team that needs to find upgrades for more than 15 starters shouldn't be looking to give away high draft picks.