The Las Vegas Raiders are going to be in the market for a quarterback when the 2025 NFL Draft rolls around but it remains to be seen who they might target. Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Georgia’s Carson Beck, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward appear to be the top prospects as of now.
At 2-2, the Raiders likely won’t have a top-10 pick if they finish close to .500 at the end of the year. That could make it difficult to get one of the top quarterbacks. However, they may get some help. There appears to be mutual interest between the Raiders and Sanders.
Deion Sanders, Shedeur’s father and the head coach at Colorado, has previously said that he wouldn’t mind seeing his son playing for Las Vegas. He was recently asked about the Raiders possibly being a fit for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson and he had a very interesting answer.
“We good, we good though, we good … yeah, leave that alone,” Sanders said on the September 30 episode of the “Nightcap” podcast.
Sanders referring to the Raiders as “we” could be a slip of the tongue but it’s noteworthy. He previously did not rule out the idea of his son refusing to sign with the team that drafts him if it’s not a team he wants to play for. Forcing Shedeur to the Raiders would be difficult and controversial but it’s looking like something that could be in the realm of possibility.
Do Raiders Want Shedeur Sanders?
Sanders has been a bit of a polarizing prospect. He’s very talented and his stats are excellent but he’s shown some maturity issues a team might not want to see from their franchise quarterback. That said, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce likes players with some swagger.
As a former player, Pierce may have what it takes to keep Sanders’ personality in check. He might not be the team’s top choice at quarterback considering there are some very talented prospects but if they can get Sanders without having to trade up in the draft, that would be a huge win. He’s putting up very good numbers at Colorado with limited talent around him, especially on the offensive line.
Give him a solid offensive line, Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers and Davante Adams and he could have a lot of success at the NFL level.
Where Is Shedeur Sanders Expected to Get Drafted?
Sanders is likely going to be a polarizing prospect in next year’s draft. Current mock drafts don’t seem to have any idea exactly where he’ll be drafted. The 33rd Team has him as No. 4 overall in their mock draft while The Draft Wire has him falling all the way to No. 21.
While many are not sure exactly when he’ll get drafted, it seems likely he’ll be a first-round pick. With quarterbacks, they often get more and more valued as the draft gets closer. If Sanders finishes the college football season strong and does well in pre-draft workouts and interviews, he’ll almost certainly be a top-10 pick.
He may not rise to being the consensus No. 1 quarterback prospect in the draft, but if the Raiders want him, there’s a chance a trade up will be necessary.
