It's not like one game made everyone realize that Gardner Minshew wasn't the long term answer in Las Vegas, but it's not like Week 1's sloppy loss helped, either. The Bridge Year is in full go already, and that means there are going to be – among other things – weekly updates and rumors and blogs about who the Raiders' quarterback will be next year.
We'll all be guilty of it at some point or another this season, and for this week, it's CBS Sports' turn. They published a 2025 NFL Mock Draft this week, and in it predicted that the Raiders would pick Georgia QB Carson Beck with the 6th overall pick. The connection to this year's 1st round pick, Brock Bowers, is the obvious hook, but getting a quarterback with a floor as high as Beck's is would be a great pick even if he didn't play with Bowers in college.
CBS Sports reunites Brock Bowers and Carson Beck in 2025 NFL Mock Draft
"At this point, no one has any clue how the quarterback position will shake out in April -- there's no real consensus for these top guys -- but Beck feels like the safest bet, and the Raiders need stability at the game's most vital position."
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"No one has any idea what's going to happen, whatever," is such a bold start that I almost have to respect it. And while this does hedge a littttttle too much on how good Beck can actually be, the idea of Beck and Bowers reuniting in Vegas and giving the Raiders a solid offensive core to build around for the first time in almost a decade is enough to look past it.
We're going to see more Beck mocks, and then some Quinn Ewers mocks, and I'm extremely certain that there's a resurgence of Sheduer Sanders mocks coming before this is all said and done. They'll all be fun in their own unique ways, which is the joy that'll keep Raiders fans going through, if Week 1's any indication, a whole bunch of annoying Sunday afternoons in the near future. Any time Antonio Pierce decides to punt from the other's team's side of the field, just cue up the 2023 Georgia Bulldogs highlights and take some deep, centering breaths.