When last we looked at the updated order for the 2025 NFL Draft, the Raiders were in prime position, poised to have the No. 1 overall pick. They were tied for the league’s worst record at 2-12 with tie breakers over the Giants. However, with a win over the similarly lowly Jaguars this past Sunday, Las Vegas plummeted in the most recent draft order and now slots in at No. 6. 
Many view the biggest need for Las Vegas to be a quarterback. Three different passers have started games for the Raiders this season, and none of Gardner Minshew (2-7), Aidan O’Connell (1-4), or Desmond Ridder (0-1) have a winning record. Likewise, none seem to have much in the way of promise, as all three seem to have been written off as considerable quarterbacks of the future. Therefore, the plan would likely be to draft one, a prospect that’s become much more difficult with their recent victory.
[RELATED: Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order]
At No. 1 overall, the Raiders had their pick of the litter with the ability to choose whatever quarterback they desire. At No. 6, the choice is taken pretty far out of their hands, especially considering that only two passers, Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, are currently receiving first-round grades. It will definitely take some maneuvering to land one of those two quarterbacks from their current slot, but according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, it’s not impossible.
Firstly, they stand to likely move up a spot. Two of the teams ahead of them, the Jaguars and Titans, play each other in the final two weeks of the season, guaranteeing that one of them will earn a victory. For reasons to be explored shortly, Las Vegas fans should be rooting for Tennessee to pull off the divisional victory.
This year’s draft doesn’t appear to be shaping up much like last year’s. If the current order holds, two of the top three teams likely won’t be looking for quarterbacks, unlike last year, which saw the Bears, Commanders, and Patriots select Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye successively in the first three picks. While the Giants, current holders of the No. 1 overall pick, certainly have a need for a quarterback after releasing veteran Daniel Jones, the holders of pick Nos. 2 and 3 do not.
The No. 2 spot is currently held by the Patriots. Despite their disappointing record, the rookie Maye has shown promise at different points in the season, especially since he had to earn the starting job over veteran passer Jacoby Brissett and didn’t start until Week 6. He’ll have to figure out how to protect the ball a bit better — he’s thrown 10 picks in 10 starts — but New England likely has not given up on his potential, yet.
The No. 3 pick is owned by the Jaguars, who just recently signed a 25-year-old Trevor Lawrence to a five-year extension that made him the highest-paid player in the league at the time. This season saw Lawrence battling quite a few injury issues, but it’s hard to imagine that Jacksonville would be looking for anything other than an upgraded backup passer in this year’s draft.
Between those two and Las Vegas sit the Browns and Titans. If the abovementioned rooting interests pay dividends and Tennessee wins in Jacksonville, that problem should take care of itself. The Browns, though, have been thoroughly evaluating the 2025 quarterback draft class, per Chad Reuter of NFL.com, as they research potential successors to one of the worst quarterback contracts in NFL history.
So, in order to get into a position where they are one of the top two teams in position to draft a quarterback, Las Vegas would need to get ahead of Cleveland and Tennessee, another team with interest in a new, young passer. In order to do so, though, they’ll likely have to trade up into the spot. If the Titans lose to Jacksonville, Las Vegas will likely enter into a bidding war for New England’s No. 2 overall pick in order to leapfrog the Browns and Titans. If the Titans win, though, the Raiders’ route is a little cleaner as they’ll have options to trade up with either New England or Jacksonville, and they’ll only be looking to leapfrog one team, though they will have to fend off teams behind them, like Tennessee, from leapfrogging them.
In short, despite a situationally disappointing win this past weekend, the Raiders still have lanes open that lead to them obtaining Ward or Sanders. It may cost them some draft capital to make it happen, but Las Vegas could still end up in a top-three slot.
If a team wants to draft Sanders they better trade up and try to grab Hunter too. He’s what elevates Sanders from average to above average, not Sanders talent.
Getting both would be a tough pull
Option 1: Sam Darnold. Doubt Minnesota brings him back with McCarthy. They probably opt to keep Jones as back up
Option 2: Kirk Cousins. Draft McMillan in the first. Sign Tee Higgins. Pair them with Bowers and Meyers who’s only under control 1 more year.
Option 3: take a flier on
Fields?
Rush?
Regardless who’s QB
Draft McMillan out of Arizona
Sign Higgins
They have a LT in Miller, could use a LG (Martin? Zeitler?), they have a young center, have a decent rg in parham, could use a RT (Becton?)
As things stand now I see
Giants taking QB Ward
Patriots taking WR/CB Hunter
Jaguars taking OT Will Campbell for Lawrence’s blind side protection since they used a 1st on Thomas Jr and brought in Gabe Davis last year
Titans taking OT Banks Jr since they went out for Ridley last year. Could also take Sanders and end the Will Levis experiment.
Cleveland I see taking Mason Graham. They have Jeudy they have Tillman they could take Sanders here.
Raiders taking WR McMillan
Unless Darnold stinks up the first playoff game, the Vikings are keeping him. Its weird seeing two 14-2 teams playing for the division, unless the Packers can upset them.
Vikings fan here, Sam has already played himself out of Minny because there’s no way they moved on from Kirk and drafted a top 10 QB just to give Sam Darnold 30-40m. The money actually isn’t the biggest issue, it’s the years because no chance Sam signs for less than 3 years after bouncing around the league so much.
Darnold has played himself into at least a Kirk Cousins type contract at 4 years somewhere. Maybe closer to 20-25 mill a year or Mayfield contract 3 year 80 mill but Minnesota isnt gonna match a 3-4 year deal and let McCarthy sit on the bench for 3-4 years while Darnold plays. Waste of a first round pick at that point.
There you go.. trade Tom Brady’s guy JJ McCarthy and whatever pick Minnesota lands on to Vegas for the 6th pick. It won’t be a waste of a first round pick then. I doubt Darnold will be able to replicate this success anywhere else. He wasn’t good in NY and he wasn’t good in Carolina. Give him a good offensive coach like Kevin O’Connell and some good receivers and he looks pretty good.
You think McCarthy coming off knee surgery with only 4 years left on his rookie deal and an early mid or late 20s pick is gonna land the 6th over pick?
Put down the holiday egg nog Dan.
It’ll take more than McCarthy and Minnesotas 1st to land the 6th overall pick. Idk what picks Minnesota has in 2025 but it’s gonna take more than that possibly more 2025 if not 2026 picks too.
AOC really is not that bad and I would grade him a better option than Cousins, Rush and Fields. Draft/sign him some O-Line upgrades, a decent RB and a WR (and maybe a good OC) and he will suddenly look like a real QB.
They should draft another QB in the later rounds and get rid of Minshew and Ridder.
…..or all of the mental gymnastics are a waste of time because Shedeur’s dad might have him pull an “Elway” or “Manning” and simply tell teams ahead of the Raiders not to draft him because he will not play for them. Prime is cozy with the Raiders and the Giants and Shedeur has made it known that he wants to play in a large market. No chance he’ll play in Cleveland or Tennessee. Prime isn’t gonna have his son waste a decade getting his brains beaten in on his first couple of contracts.
The big market thing I could see but all the top 6 teams are bad, so wherever he goes he will likely get his brains beat in no matter where he goes.
lol pats likely haven’t given up on Mayes talent….maye is awesome, half of his picks are either forcing it at the end of the game as time expires or wrs fail him.
Maye looks like he has a little moxie.
If Im NE fan, I feel optimistic. Just need a better roster
Raiders can’t even lose right. Went frm #1 to #6 by beating Jags. Would one more loss kill ya ?
The Raiders dread drafting another JaMarcus Russell so naturally they want to avoid that #1 spot 🙂
It’s pretty funny too … Pierce knows he isn’t coming back next year, so it’s one last chance to give the organization the finger before leaving LOL
It’s the Raiders..they will draft a punter first.
Best to go the FA route this offseason and draft a stud someplace else. Neither of these guys move the needle for me. Maybe I’m wrong, Ward was more impressive to me than sanders, but we’ll see. Neither screams spectacular to my eye. Make a play for Purdy or Darnold. Maybe trade for McCarthy?
If they can’t somehow pull a miracle and get Ward then they should trade back and pick up a few other hole fillers.
They had lost 10 straight before squeaking by another 3-12 team. If that’s fighting, ouch
Hats off to Pierce to have his team keep fighting and not tanking (like thr NYG seem to be). QB isn’t their only need, they can get by with other options.
Unless Seattle wins a playoff game ( if they even make it) I think they are going to shop Geno Smith. Don’t need him on a rebuilding team and would be a nice affordable pickup for the Raiders. Draft a QB in 2nd round and let him learn behind Geno.
“Two of the teams ahead of them, the Jaguars and Titans, play each other in the final two weeks of the season, guaranteeing that one of them will earn a victory.”
They could tie.
Good year to screw up your tank if you’re an incompetent team.
Teams tank to improve their draft position but if they had any competence at drafting they wouldn’t be needing to tank in the first place.
I see what you’re saying, but it’s not entirely true. If you’ve got a Manning or Caleb Williams at the top, being a good drafter doesn’t get you that player – having the draft pick does. I do understand QBs are mostly a crap shoot – I’m using them as examples.
The best drafter will be the person who gets the best QB in this draft – and it won’t be Ward or Sanders.
Shedeur Sanders (6’2″-215) doesn’t process the game all that well and I think the speed in the NFL will expose him…Cam Ward (6’2″-220) seems to be someone with a higher ceiling than Sanders but the Giants will ruin whoever they draft to play Quarterback.
The Raiders should be looking for a bridge type QB for 2025 and 2026 only because the 2026 QB draft class looks to be deeper but there are a few guys in this upcoming draft at QB that would not be bad day 2 or 3 pick…
Jalen Milroe (6’2″-225), Jaxson Dart (6’2″-225), Quinn Ewers (6’2″ – 205), Drew Allar (6’5″ – 235), if he comes out this year and doesn’t go back to Penn State and Carson Beck (6’4″-220) ( coming off of surgery)
One or two of these guys will surprise…Allar reminds me of Justin Herbert (6’6″-235)…both can run, have strong arms and have no problem seeing over lineman…he is my sleeper pick
Imagine if someone like Nikola Jokic had a cannon of an arm and played football instead.
The play for raiders. Is to pay a wr1. And to buy sanders. If you can’t get into 1st. Get Justin fields and gamble on another journeyman. These flops are hitting at the highest rate in history. It’s time to play right. Otherwise. Imma do it all. Lmao.