The Raiders currently hold the no. 2 pick in the 2025 draft, but with four games remaining on the schedule, a lot can change before the end of the season.
If the Raiders lose to the Falcons on Monday, they will reclaim the no. 1 pick, but a loss in the next four weeks could put them in a bad position to get one of the consensus top quarterbacks in the draft.
If they beat the Falcons on Monday, the Raiders will drop to the no. 7 pick, according to Tankathon, and a pick that far down the board could mean they will have to settle for a rookie quarterback other than Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward.
So what will the Raiders do if they can’t get Sanders or Ward in the draft?
Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter acknowledged that this year isn’t considered one of the better draft classes at quarterback, but brought up a player that will probably climb up a lot of draft boards between now and April.
“I couldn’t find one person that really felt like they were definitive in their rankings of this class, or what they thought of each player, but I will tell you… the Oregon quarterback [Dillon Gabriel] is moving up everybody’s draft boards,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“They think he’s better than the Ole Miss Jaxson Dart, and better than [Carson] Beck and I thought that was interesting. I heard some comments about [Quinn] Ewers at Texas and even heard one NFL executive say they think [Ewers] is a free agent.”
The problem for the Raiders and every other team looking for a quarterback in this year’s draft is that the QB prospects after Sanders and Ward have not impressed this year. In fact, some aren’t convinced that even Sanders or Ward would have been a top 5 quarterback in last year’s draft.
By most accounts, Gabriel is a day three pick in the draft, but his stock is bound to climb, in part because of the underwhelming quarterback class.
Dane Brugler is one of the more respected draft analysts covering the NFL and he discussed Gabriel in a piece this week.
“Gabriel is the only Heisman finalist who’s not projected to be a first-round pick in April. And because he is vastly undersized by NFL standards (verified 5-foot-10 1/2 and 200 pounds), he will be overlooked by many throughout the process,” Brugler reported this week at The Athletic.
“I admit, I wasn’t very high on the lefty passer at first, either. But after returning to his tape gradually throughout this season, I found it easy to gain an appreciation for the way he plays. A quick-footed athlete, Gabriel consistently throws with anticipation and accuracy, and the ball comes off his hand much better than expected,” Brugler continued. “What I appreciate most is his quick trigger. Gabriel has a great feel for route timing in relation to coverage, which allows him to eliminate things quickly and fire passes without overthinking.”
“I’m not saying Gabriel will be a first-round pick like this year’s other Heisman finalists. In my opinion, though, he is a better NFL prospect than Stetson Bennett, who was drafted in Round 4. Gabriel is innately confident and obsessed with winning — two qualities that will help him connect with NFL coaches throughout the process.”
It would be a disappointment for the Raiders to not get one of the consensus top quarterbacks in the 2025 draft, but as we learned a year ago, sometimes there’s no path to the top of the draft.
If the Raiders don’t end up with one of the top 3 picks in the draft, it’s going to be a complicated offseason for GM Tom Telesco and the decision-makers in the Raiders building. It is believed that the Raiders prefer Sanders over Ward, but the team needs to figure out who will be making the decision on their next quarterback before anything else can be determined.
Telesco is expected to be retained at the end of the season, but will Tom Brady be a big part of the decision-making process?
Owner Mark David confirmed this week that Brady will have some level of involvement in the decision and it’s no secret that Brady has significant ties to Sanders family.
As of Sunday evening, here’s a look at the current draft order.
Definitely a few quarterback-needy teams expected to be at the top of the draft…
x: @raidersbeat
Syracuse QB Kyle McCord: Led the nation in passing yards with 4,326