While it remains to be seen just how much success the Las Vegas Raiders will have in the 2024 season, one thing that has become quite clear in the first few games is the fact that neither Gardner Minshew nor Aidan O'Connell will be the quarterback who leads the team to success in the future.
While 2025 was originally viewed as an overall weak quarterback class after six players were drafted in the first round during the 2024 class, strong performances from a handful of possible future Raiders have Tom Telesco and Antonio Pierce pick a player who can lead them to success in the future.
If the Raiders continue to play like they did against the Carolina Panthers, they will have no problem securing a high draft pick that gives them their pick of possible franchise quarterbacks. Their ideal candidate might be a Texas player with a wildly strong arm.
CBS Sports has the Raiders, picking seventh overall in this 2025 NFL Mock Draft, selecting Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers. The Longhorns gunslinger is the second quarterback off the board in this mock, with Georgia's Carson Beck and Miami's Cam Ward going to the Panthers and Giants, respectively.
Raiders picking Texas QB Quinn Ewers in 2025 NFL Mock Draft
While Ewers did lead the Longhorns to the playoffs last year, teams had to wonder if he could still perform at a high level without three different wide receivers and a tight end who were all drafted by NFL teams last year. The early returns have been incredibly fruitful.
Ewers may have missed some time with an injury, but he also managed to throw in a road win against Michigan with three touchdown passes before he got banged up. There is tremendous arm strength, but his massive improvements in processing speed and deep accuracy have caught the eye of many NFL scouts.
Minshew is still under contract for 2025, which could give the Raiders a veteran placeholder if they don't believe Ewers is ready to start right away. Ewers has adjusted to the speed of the SEC, and he has been putting together some very encouraging results since then.
While Ewers may need a year of marinating on the bench, his ceiling is as high as any player in this class. The Raiders' offense has some pieces that could use upgrading, but a player like Ewers has all the traits needed to take this overall roster from good to great.