When the Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16, their dream of landing Shedeur Sanders became much more complicated. Then, they won again in Week 17, placing their Sanders hopes on life support.
But is there still a path to the Raiders drafting the Colorado Buffaloes quarterback?
Las Vegas owns the sixth pick in the NFL Draft, and with three quarterback-needy teams in the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants owning the first three selections, the chances of Sanders still being available at No. 6 seem slim, even if his stock is dropping.
However, Mike Renner of CBS Sports actually thinks it's a possibility, and in his latest mock draft, he has the Raiders bagging Sanders without even trading up.
"I don't have a top of the draft grade on Shedeur Sanders, and some NFL teams may ultimately agree. The Raiders are unlikely to have the kind of options that the Browns and Giants will via trade/free agency, meaning they'll set their sights towards the draft," Renner wrote.
Not sure why the Raiders wouldn't have the same type of access to quarterbacks via free agency or trade that the Browns or Giants would. Maybe Renner doesn't think Las Vegas is as desirable of a destination?
Whatever the case may be, he clearly thinks Sanders is going to slip in the draft, and if that occurs, you can bet that the Raiders will jump on him.
Currently, Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew are slated to battle it out for Las Vegas' starting job in 2025. The chances of it remaining that way are incredibly minuscule.
The Raiders will almost certainly find a signal-caller somewhere, whether that's through getting lucky in the draft or doing something like signing Sam Darnold on the open market.
There is a chance that Las Vegas attempts to make a blockbuster NFL Draft trade in order to try and secure Sanders, but waiting until draft day (which is when draft trades typically take place) to maybe find an answer under center is a risky proposition.
All things considered, it just doesn't seem very probable that Sanders will still be available at No. 6 unless a trade takes place.
