In a way, it makes too much sense, and all the signs are there. The Raiders are badly in need of a quarterback and for the better part of the past year, they've been playing footsy with Colorado star Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders has made no bones about his affection for the Raiders as an organization, including a trip to Las Vegas in December in which he showed a shot of Allegiant Stadium, home of the Raiders, with the caption, "Legendary." He also met with Raiders owner Mark Davis in October at a Las Vegas Aces game.
At the time, Davis told him, "Who knows? You could be home right now."
Sanders was stellar last season at Colorado, when he led the Big 12 in completions and attempts (353-for-477) and led the nation in accuracy, with a 74.0% completion rate. He led the conference, too, with 318.0 yards per game and a 168.2 rating.
But one of the big questions for the Raiders, even as we are still two months removed from the NFL draft, is whether Sanders will be on the board when the Raiders pick at No. 6. It's presumed that Cam Ward will be QB1 in this draft, with the Titans, Browns and Giants holding the first three picks and all in need of a quarterback.
If Sanders is not taken by one of those three, then the Patriots and Jaguars are up next and are likely to bypass quarterbacks--unless a trade up happens by a quarterback-needy team like the Jets. That's why there has been chatter that the Raiders may need to move up from No. 6 to secure him.
Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
But former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has a warning for the Raiders: Don't do it.
"I don’t like it because of the amount that it would take to move up," Hasselbeck said on Monday on ESPN's "Get Up" show. "A lot of people saying he could end up being No. 1 overall—to move that much is way too much, even if you’re moving two or three spots up."
Hasselbeck advises the Raiders to either pluck Sanders at No. 6 or, better yet, simply wait and pick one of the second-tier QBs later in the draft.
"I don’t really thing that the delta between Shedeur and this next group of quarterbacks—Tyler Shough, Kyle McCord, Jaxson Dart—I don’t think it’s gonna be that significant through the evaluation process for everybody," Hasselbeck said. "So I think giving up so much to move just a few spots in the first round when you really don’t know, to me, it just doesn’t feel like it is worth it."
The Raiders have the No. 37 overall pick, plus two third-rounders (No. 68 and 73) in this draft.
