The Las Vegas Raiders are attempting to right the ship after the team posted a paltry 4-13 record in 2024. After firing Antonio Pierce, the team made some massive offseason moves.
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The Raiders traded for Geno Smith and hired former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll to lead the team. Now, both the team and Carroll are hinting at some big NFL Draft moves on social media.
First, the Raiders sent out a post on X, using a simple caption of the surprised eye emoji. Naturally, this led to many speculating that the team is looking for a major jump in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Now, the rumor mill is going to spin even faster, as Carroll has also weighed in on the potential draft plans the Raiders have in store.
Carroll used a GIF of Will Smith using a magnifying glass, with a caption that reads: “Draft clues on the way!! #RaiderNation.”
Though this is not an indication of what the Raiders plan to do, they have long been linked to Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Those rumors were quelled a bit when Smith was traded for, but Las Vegas might still be making a play to land the star quarterback prospect.
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As it stands right now, the Raiders are picking No. 6 overall, meaning they would likely have to make a big move to jump into the top five picks. They would likely have to surrender some high second-round draft capital to make that big of a jump, even if they are one spot out of the top five.
The consensus among many NFL experts in terms of mock drafts is that the Raiders will stay put at No. 6 and select Kelvin Banks out of Texas. Protecting Smith would be an ideal approach considering how many sacks he took as a member of the Seahawks.
Even after taking the NFL‘s third-highest 50 sacks in 2024, Smith still delivered over 4,000 passing yards and 23 touchdowns.
Smith could also be the perfect kind of veteran quarterback to mentor Sanders, should the Raiders take the Buffaloes prospect. There is a belief that he is likely to drop somewhere in the top 10, around No. 9 for the New Orleans Saints — but the Raiders might not want to take that chance.
If the Raiders are all-in on Sanders, they might want to trade into the top five to ensure no one else can land him. Whatever happens, the team and Carroll are doing their job to confuse the other teams via their social media posts.
For more on the Raiders, head to Newsweek Sports.
