New Mock Draft Has Raiders Pulling Off Daring Trade

The Las Vegas Raiders want stability. That is why Pete Carroll is the new head coach and John Spytek the new general manager. Minority owner Tom Brady's voice is more evidence to that fact.

The Raiders traded for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, an 11-year veteran and Pro Bowler who has led his previous team to winning records in two of the past three seasons.

Is Smith a bridge? Most certainly. The Raiders want to give themselves insurance while they find a long-term starter in the NFL Draft. Whether that is the 2025 or 2026 NFL Draft is yet to be seen, but a recent mock draft from Fox Sports' David Helman has the Raiders hitching their wagon to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, swapping picks with New England for the No. 4 overall selection.

"Trading for Geno Smith lessens the urgency at quarterback, but the Raiders will have some thinking to do if Sanders falls out of the top three," wrote Helman. "The cost of a two-spot jump isn't prohibitive. Smith turns 35 this fall. If Tom Brady, Pete Carroll and John Spytek like Sanders, it wouldn't be a shock to see them pull the trigger on a small move up for a quarterback of the future."

In this scenario, the Cleveland Browns, drafting No. 2 overall, take Sanders' teammate Travis Hunter. That being said, Helman acknowledges that the pick could very well go to the Colorado quarterback.

"But in the interest of thinking outside the box, what if Ward is the guy they'd prefer?" he wrote. "No sense reaching when you have so many other good options. They just brought Myles Garrett back to the fold, so what if they address the back end of their defense with arguably the best prospect in the draft? Hunter would elevate their secondary to one of the league's best and could also pitch in on offense."

Sanders' stock has been plummeting throughout the draft process. NFL analyst Lance Zierlein wrote that Sanders had the baseline traits to be a productive NFL starter.