Pete Carroll, Raiders have multiple non-QB options in Draft – Sports Illustrated

The Las Vegas Raiders have a coach and a general manager.

With the right pieces in place and minority owner Tom Brady guiding things with a sure hand and plenty of experience, Carroll, Spitek and the rest of the Raiders Player Staff can begin to piece together their vision for the 2025 NFL Draft.

The point guard position is a dark cloud hanging over the silver and black. Aidan O’Connell has looked reasonably serviceable despite the volatility from head coach to coordinator in his two seasons of sporadic play. There are a lot of question marks, though, and the chances of him nailing it as a franchise quarterback are slim right now.

A quarterback’s production may just be the single biggest predictor of success in the modern NFL, and most would agree that the best way to determine that production, long-term, is the draft.

Herein lies the problem: The 2025 quarterback class is shaky at best. Miami Hurricanes star Cam Ward is widely agreed upon as the top prospect. That being said, reputable evaluators say he wouldn’t even be in the top 3 of the stacked 2024 class.

Colorado’s Shedder Sanders may be as polarizing as they come, and he has plenty of red flags in the field, by all accounts. These are the two best prospects. The rest? Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart has reportedly Has garnered attention from some teams around the league as a late first, early second pick.

Overall, not much confidence in this class. While Carroll has experience as a quarterback whisperer — he developed Russell Wilson in Seattle into a future Hall of Famer, and Geno Smith was one of the better reclamation projects at the position we’ve seen in years — the Raiders will likely avoid such as Risk in 1 year of the Carroll-Spytek-Brady triumvirate.

While questions abound at quarterback, the draft is loaded with highly touted non-QB talent.

This makes things relatively easy for the Raiders; They can pick up a free agent signal-caller (some are ready to see Wilson in the silver and black, while others see Minnesota’s Sam Darnold as a viable option) or avoid getting a new quarterback and play things out with O’Connell, who will benefited From organizational stability for the first time.

So if the Raiders want to build a strong foundation with non-QB talent like they did in 2024 when they took a generational talent in tight end Brock Bowers, who are some potential targets?

While the Colorado Heisman Trophy winner and wide receiver/corner is highly unlikely Travis Hunter Falling to the Raiders at sixth overall, he should be included in any non-QB stud conversation. He is rumored to play both ways at the NFL level, which is unheard of.

It’s doubtful the Raiders would make a move for Hunter, although nothing is impossible.

Sticking with passives, silver and black could very well make a move to add to their arsenal. Bowers was a home run, walk-off star who turned in an All-Pro freshman season, and if not for the existence of Washington Chiefs quarterback Jaden Daniels, he has as good a case as anyone for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year of the year NFL .

Selecting Bowers could very well inspire the Raiders to look for another weapon to pair with him. By all accounts, a wide receiver in Arizona Tetairoa McMillan It appears to be the weapon. After 84 receptions for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024, he climbed to the top of the list of top receivers in the draft.

McMillan could be a mismatch with big frame and ball skills that excite scouts. To Bowers? That might be enough for Las Vegas to pull the trigger. However, he is not a perfect prospect, as one AFC Scouting director, who was worried about injuries, “said”[McMillan] I got hurt in the spring and I don’t know that he ever got it back to 100 percent. ”

While most are weary of going back early in the draft these days, Boise State’s mercurial superstar Ashton Giannati He seems to be as close as a sure thing as you can get at running back. The Broncos phenom rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns on 374 carries.

An explosive workhorse with a compact 5-foot-9, 215-pound frame and 4.42 speed, Jeanty could be an injection of instant impact for a Raiders offense that finished dead through 2024. The Detroit Lions are a recent example of successfully bucking the trend of holding onto a ball carrier in the first round after selecting Jameer Gibbs at No. 12 in 2023. He just rushed for over 1,400 yards and 16 touchdowns.

While the Raiders’ offensive line has a promising future with Jackson Powers-Johnson anchoring the interior with his versatility and brutality in the trenches, they could very well consider going at offensive tackle. Among the top of the big boards right now are Texas. Kelvin Banks Jr. and at LSU Will Campbell. Banks is a threat in the run game and finding a better pass blocker in the draft would be difficult. Campbell is not far behind the banks.

Both are beginners.

Defensively, the forwards need to be confident about the future of their defense. Second-year cornerback Bennett took a huge step and the youth movement showed a lot of promise. Maintaining a good defense in the AFC West, which has three star running backs and three very good coaches, could be a top priority for Carroll and Co., however.

Penn State Edge Rusher Abdul Carter has been touted as the next Micah Parsons, and while he probably won’t be there when it’s the Raiders’ turn, putting him across from Maxx Crosby to wreak havoc on opposing coverages is a thought worth considering. Carter’s versatility would fit into the multiple schemes Las Vegas currently runs under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham if he stays.

After Carter, Michigan Defense Supply Mason Graham considered by many to be the best defender. He’s an athletic space-first with the rushing ability of a post-Aaron Donald interior, with Jim Harbaugh pedigree and a motor similar to that of the Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson, another Harbaugh product.