The Las Vegas Raiders entered the offseason with plenty of needs, as they looked to revamp their flawed roster. Those needs grew immediately in the early part of free agency, as they lost several critical players from last season. Las Vegas responded to those losses with signings of its own.
For the past two seasons, the Raiders' offense has been the Achilles heel for the Silver and Black. Inconsistency at quarterback and a nonexistent ground game doomed the Raiders' offense. They have addressed one of those issues and could address the other in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Reese Decker from the Pro Football Network released his most recent mock draft, featuring seven rounds of projections for every team. He believes the Raiders' trade for Smith allows them the freedom to choose from many positions instead of focusing on drafting a quarterback.
The Raiders likely would still have been interested in drafting a quarterback if this year's draft class had contained a better crop of options at the position. However, the opposite is accurate, and trading for Smith removes the guesswork for Las Vegas, as they can now fill other needs.
"The Las Vegas Raiders’ trade for Geno Smith effectively removes them from the first-round quarterback conversation, especially in light of the $85.5 million contract extension. Much like what Smith and 73-year-old head coach Pete Carroll did in Seattle, the Raiders will look to win with an efficient offense built around a strong rushing attack," Decker said.
"Nobody is better to lead the attack than Jeanty. The 2024 Heisman Trophy runner-up is a bona fide blue-chip prospect and generational talent. He is a dynamic playmaker who possesses elite contact balance, remarkable power and durability, dangerous top-end speed, and the ability to flip the field on a single cut. He has the ability to be an instant game-changer and a foundational piece for a rebuilding organization. Jeanty is an X factor."
The Raiders could still select Shedeur Sanders with the No. 6 pick in the draft, but it seems unlikely with the addition of Smith and Jeanty likely still being on the board. The Raiders have a clear need and a clear answer to that need in the draft. They must make it happen.
