Once quarterback Shedeur Sanders started slipping in the draft, the Las Vegas Raiders seemed like a team that could've stopped his slide. However, they passed on him several times before he was eventually drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round.
The Raiders did trade for Geno Smith this offseason, but it wasn't clear if the plan was for him to be the starter for at least a couple of years or to start grooming a potential replacement immediately.
Maxx Crosby had rapper Doe Boy on his podcast, and he chided the defensive end for the Raiders passing on Sanders in favor of Smith. He was quick to defend his team and his new quarterback.
"I mean, he's 34, but quarterbacks ... their age is different," Crosby said on "The Rush." "He's probably going to be here for a while. Bringing Pete (Carroll) in, and (John) Spytek, and (Tom) Brady all in, they have a specific idea of what they want. ... I like how we drafted. We got some dogs."
Though Smith is 34, it's important to note that there was a seven-year stretch between 2015 and 2021 which he started in just five games. His body hasn't taken nearly the beating that a lot of other quarterbacks have to go through.
It's feasible that he could be a high-end starting quarterback for at least three or four more seasons. That's too long to make a quarterback like Sanders wait. It's possible that the Raiders made a mistake passing on the quarterback, but it's going to take a few years to know for sure.
