The Las Vegas Raiders mortgaged a third-round pick on Geno Smith this offseason, which seemed like a steal at the time. It turns out the Seattle Seahawks committed highway robbery, as they got a far younger, better and cheaper option in Sam Darnold. They are currently 9-3, and the Raiders are 2-10.
Of course, one player is not directly responsible for the wins and losses, as much as there is an effort to make them a quarterback stat. But Smith's play just hasn't been up to snuff by any stretch of the imagination during the 2025 NFL season, and the franchise needs a young signal-caller.
Las Vegas has so many issues and spots on the roster to address that many have argued for the team to just bolster the trenches and find its quarterback of the future in 2027 instead. Essentially, throwing a young player under center still wouldn't yield good results, and it'd hurt their confidence.
Every mock draft Raiders select 1st-round QB, several after trading up
Well, after a few more poor performances from Smith, there is now a growing consensus for the Raiders to just take the plunge at quarterback. Not only that, but draft experts are now seemingly encouraging Las Vegas to get aggressive in doing so.
Last week, we wrote about a mock draft in which the Raiders traded up to the No. 1 pick and landed Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. FanSided.com's Justin Carter also urged Las Vegas to trade up and select Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, claiming it is the blockbuster move it needs to rebuild.
In another mock draft, The Athletic's Dane Brugler predicts that, after the Cleveland Browns trade up to No. 1 and select Mendoza, the Raiders will leapfrog the New Orleans Saints and trade up from No. 4 to No. 2 and select Oregon's Dante Moore.
RELATED: Raiders' dream Chip Kelly replacement is slipping through their fingers
Nobody would argue against the fact that quarterback is the most important position, and if the front office feels great about a prospect, they should be aggressive in pursuing him. Raider Nation does have some apprehension about giving up premier draft capital, however, given all of the team's holes.
If Las Vegas could land any of the three aforementioned quarterbacks by staying put, that would be the best of both worlds. NFL Mocks' Tarringo Basile-Vaughan projected the Raiders to stay put and select Simpson in his latest mock draft, which is hard to be upset with.
USA Today's Ayrton Ostly predicted the same scenario for the Silver and Black, as did AtoZ Sports' Ryan Roberts and Rob Gregson, except they took Moore instead. It seems like the days of Las Vegas taking non-quarterbacks in mock drafts are gone.
The situation with Smith has become dire enough that the Raiders might be better off just swinging for the fences at the quarterback position and hoping they hit one out of the park. None of the Band-Aids they have used recently has healed their wounds under center, so it's worth a shot.