After the end of the 2024 regular season, it seemed like the only chance the Las Vegas Raiders would have at landing Shedeur Sanders was if they traded up. Following the 2025 NFL scouting combine, Sanders appears to be quickly falling down draft boards.
Multiple mock drafts have him falling to the Raiders at No. 6 only for them to pass up on him. Sanders had a lot of success in college but his physical skills are very concerning. His arm talent isn't elite and he's not very athletic.
He is accurate and has displayed good leadership skills but that's usually not enough for a player to be a top-10 pick. If he does fall to No. 6, the Raiders will have a big decision to make.
Should Raiders Pass on Sanders?
The Raiders need a quarterback badly. They were ready to trade for Matthew Stafford but he chose to stay with the Rams. If the Raiders were that high on Sanders, they likely wouldn't have pushed for a Stafford trade.
At this point, it seems likely that the Raiders would pass on Sanders if he fell to No. 6. It's easy to understand that mindset. The team has a lot of needs and could add a blue-chip prospect over a limited quarterback.
It's possible that Sanders could be very successful at the NFL level but he's a big risk. And his name is so big that it'll be a major distraction if he's bad. Perhaps if he slides far in the first round, the Raiders could consider trading a backup to add him.
It's just hard to know which teams might want him outside of the top 10. It's not out of the realm of possibility that he falls to the second round. If that happens, the Raiders should pounce.