Raiders could draft quarterback as high as Round 2 as they seek Geno Smith’s backup

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As the group of draft prospects took their swings at the Las Vegas Topgolf last Tuesday night, Raiders general manager John Spytek and coach Pete Carroll were keeping track of how everyone was interacting more than if they could hit a target with a golf ball.

There were three quarterbacks — Jaxson Dart, Quinn Ewers and Will Howard — among the seven top college prospects in town for visits that serve as a last in-person contact before the NFL Draft on April 24-26. The Raiders have the No. 6 pick in the draft, and are believed by executives and agents around the league to be targeting a quarterback as early as Round 2.

The Raiders traded for and gave a contract extension to veteran quarterback Geno Smith, which seemingly gives them a couple of years to groom a young successor. The Raiders’ new brass doesn’t seem that high on incumbent Aidan O’Connell and many expect them to try and trade him for a pick on Day 3 of the draft. (The Raiders were in on trade talks for New England Patriots backup Joe Milton, according to league sources, but the Dallas Cowboys got him for a fifth-round pick.)

While this QB class is not up to par with last year’s, when six went in the first 12 picks, teams still need quarterbacks, and five could go over the first two nights of the draft.

The Raiders’ second-round pick comes up at No. 37, and after projected No. 1 pick Cam Ward presumably goes to the Tennessee Titans, the guesses of where the next highest-rated quarterbacks go off the board are all over the map. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, in his seven-round mock draft, had Shedeur Sanders falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21, with Ole Miss’ Dart and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe going with the first two picks of the second round, three spots ahead of the Raiders.

That would leave the Raiders with a choice of Texas’ Ewers, Louisville’s Tyler Shough or waiting to see if one fell to No. 68 (in the third round).

Carroll does have the full scouting report on Ewers, as he was a mentor to Texas coach Steve Sarkisian at USC. Ewers led the Longhorns to rare road wins at Alabama and Michigan, and while he was not as sharp in 2024 as he was in 2023, he did play through an oblique strain and a high ankle sprain and still threw for 3,472 yards, 31 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while a talented roster helped him get to the national semifinals.

Sarkisian was an offensive coordinator with the Atlanta Falcons for two years, and he thinks Ewers is better prepared for the next level than the other prospects.

“The quarterback in the NFL — win, lose or draw — has to show up the next day with the same work ethic, the same drive, the same film study. I think Quinn has that,” Sarkisian told Underdog Sports. “I know what we asked of him protection-wise. I know what we asked of him from a progression standpoint and concepts and reading coverages and things of that nature. In some aspects, I think he almost translates better to that league when everybody around him is playing that same brand and same style of football.”

Ewers did find someone with the same drive — and no, not golf — on his visit to Las Vegas. He was asked last week which NFL coach he would like to play for.

“Coach Carroll would be awesome,” Ewers said on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “He’s always talking about, ‘Compete. Compete. Compete.’ I think he probably says that word 100 times a day, and it would be super cool to be part of a program … that they live and die by how they compete.

“If you’re in the building, he said, ‘You’re either competing or you’re not. There’s no in-between.’ You know, I feel like that’s kinda how I already live.”

There are some experts who are more in-between on the 6-foot-2, 214-pound Ewers as a prospect and feel like he should have done more with some of the best receivers in college football.

“Ewers has a really good arm when he’s healthy — which he almost never was,” said Nick Baumgardner, one of The Athletic’s draft experts. “He’s small and a solid athlete who made plays but also never seemed to get everything out of the talent he was surrounded by. I think he’s a Day 3 guy, an NFL backup who might be able to win some games if he’s surrounded by a lot of talent.

“He’s built like Bo Nix but I don’t think he’s as smart. He reminds me more of Spencer Rattler.”

Milroe would be another interesting quarterback to consider if he were there at No. 37, as while he is a project throwing the ball, he can impact an NFL game right now with his running skills. But Milroe was invited by the NFL to the first round of the draft in Green Bay, and the league gets the green light from teams before sending those out so there is a very good chance he is gone by No. 37.

Shough, meanwhile, is 26 years old after seven years in college at Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville, but some teams are overlooking a history of collarbone and fibula injuries because he has a live arm, is efficient and can move his feet pretty well. It would be interesting to hear what kind of scouting report Raiders minority owner Tom Brady gave Spytek and Carroll when discussing Shough, Ewers and Milroe.

The Raiders could also just go with the bold best-player-available strategy in Round 2 like they are expected to use in Round 1, when there is a good chance they end up with Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham or LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell — three other members of the Topgolf crew (the fourth was Michigan linebacker Josaiah Stewart but he is projected to go in the fourth round).

If they go for that approach on Day 2, there might be a familiar face waiting for them in the fourth round. That’s where Brugler has the Raiders taking Howard, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound dual-threat Ohio State QB with whom new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly won a national title last season.

(Photo of Quinn Ewers: Jack Gorman / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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