The Las Vegas Raiders have multiple needs that they will need to address this offseason, as the roster has been a major disappointment in the first half of the year. None of those needs is more important than the quarterback position, which the franchise has been unable to get right for the better part of two decades.
Making matters more frustrating for fans, the Raiders have hardly taken a swing at fixing the position. JaMarcus Russell remains the last quarterback the organization has drafted in the first round, with the selection coming all the way back in 2007.
In fact, he is the only quarterback the Raiders have drafted in the first round since 1991. Meanwhile, Derek Carr is the only other quarterback they have selected in the first two days of the event since Russell, with his selection coming back in 2014.
Las Vegas fans would likely agree that it is long overdue for the organization to take a swing at landing a franchise quarterback. Unfortunately, one credible draft analyst believes that this year's class may not have the appeal that it was initially predicted to have.
Raiders could be forced to wait another year for franchise QB
Former ESPN NFL Draft guru Todd McShay recently appeared on The Triple Option, where he claimed that most of the top quarterbacks projected near the top of the 2026 draft board may need another year in college.
"I came into this year screaming that we might be entering the golden era, the golden age of quarterback play... I desperately want to see all of these guys go back to school for another year," McShay said. "Four of the top five guys that I've got in this list, the top four, all can play another year... Dante Moore and LaNorris Sellers are the two most talented quarterbacks in the country in terms of projecting to the NFL. Fernando Mendoza is not that far behind. All three need another year in terms of just game experience and growth... Ty Simpson is actually playing like a No. 1 and a guy that's in his third year as a starter... So, the top four guys not only could, but I think should, be back in college football next year, which would be a great thing because you still got Arch (Manning) coming back for another year. You still got DJ Lagway."
While Raiders fans would likely be happy to land any of the aforementioned quarterbacks, McShay noted that it may benefit each to stay another year in college. He pointed out that only three NFL starting quarterbacks had fewer than 25 college starts, and each of those three had struggles early in their careers.
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He noted that three additional quarterbacks, whom he labeled as unicorns, where it didn't matter, had between 26 and 29 starts. McShay also claimed that the remainder of the league's good-to-great starters had at least 36 starts in college.
Mendoza, who has made 27 starts, is the only one who has even started 20 games. Although the Raiders certainly need a young signal caller to develop, this year's draft class may not have the answers the team is looking for.
If several of the top choices choose to return to school, Las Vegas may not be in a position to land its quarterback of the future. If things do play out that way, the Raiders would have the opportunity to grab another elite prospect ahead of what would likely be a stacked 2027 quarterback class.