The Las Vegas Raiders made a big decision this offseason when they traded for quarterback Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks to reunite him with newly-hired head coach Pete Carroll.
It's become very clear that the organization has a lot of trust in the 34-year-old, wven giving him a two-year $75 million extension, keeping him with the team through the 2027 season.
However, in a mock draft done by CBS Sports, Jordan Dajani predicts that the Raiders will trade up with the Philadelphia Eagles, acquiring the No. 32 pick to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, while also explaining why a trade would be very important.
"There are two reasons for this: One, the Raiders skip over the also-QB-needy Browns at 33 and Giants at 34, plus selecting Dart in the first round gives Vegas the fifth-year option on Dart's rookie deal.
Dart is coming off his best season at the collegiate level, completing 276-of-398 passes for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 180.7 passing efficiency rating (led FBS).
The Raiders selecting a quarterback isn't a very outlandish thought, either as they've hosted multiple for pre-draft visits, including Miami's Cam Ward, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Dart.
The Ole Miss product is also viewed as someone who could benefit from some time on the bench to start his career, with The Athletic's Ted Nguyen stating, "Ideally, Dart will get drafted to a team where he can sit."
That would be the likely scenario for Dart if he ended up with the Raiders and once Smith's contract is up in three years, Dart will still have two more seasons left on his rookie deal, including a fifth-year option.
