The Geno Smith experiment in Las Vegas appears to be failing. Smith has been a turnover machine all season and the Las Vegas Raiders have struggled in a tough AFC West, with the team currently in line to pick sixth in the 2026 NFL Draft.
That's...a tough spot. The two top quarterbacks will likely be gone and there's a good chance that the No. 3 quarterback, Oregon's Dante Moore, will be too. Unless the Raiders keep losing games to move up naturally or trade up, it's possible that they won't find Smith's successor in Round 1.
Let's take a look at what the first three rounds of the NFL Draft will look like for the Las Vegas Raiders
Round 1, Pick 6: Caleb Downs, Ohio State
There are three quarterbacks that Vegas should take here if available. Unfortunately for this franchise, the Titans, Jets and Browns are all in need of quarterbacks as well and will be drafting ahead of them based on the current standings. So, what do the Raiders do if they come up on the clock here?
Well, two options. One is to trade down and try to get South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers later in the first round. He's not someone you take with the sixth overall pick, but he'll likely be gone by the second round.
The other option is this one: kick the quarterback can down the road and draft the best player on the board, which in this case will likely be Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.
I don't hate drafting Downs here! Sure, safety isn't the biggest position of need for Vegas, but it is a position of need, and Downs is a pro-ready defensive back with the skill set to develop into the league's premier safety. It's not a Smith replacement, but it is a building block for this franchise.
Round 2, Pick 37: Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Is Garrett Nussmeier the answer for Vegas? Probably not, as his draft stock has taken a massive hit this season. Still, he was once a potential first-round pick and he had to deal with the nightmare scenario that was the 2025 LSU season, so taking a shot on him isn't the worst idea.
Nussmeier doesn't have the world's strongest arm and combines that with a tendency to test that arm too much, but when he settles down and plays within the system, he's an accurate passer who sees the field well and knows where to place the football.
This is not the perfect solution for this team. Nussmeier screams "game manager," and the Raiders roster isn't good enough at the moment to rely on a game manager. It could be in the future, though, and if this doesn't work out, then maybe the Raiders will be in a position to get a quarterback at the top of the 2027 NFL Draft.
Round 3, Pick 68: Elijah Sarratt, Indiana
Whether it's Smith, Nussmeier or someone else under center for the Raiders in 2026, the team needs to add talent for that quarterback to throw the ball to. Brock Bowers is an elite tight end, but the wide receiver situation is rough. Tre Tucker is the only guy who feels like a long-term part of this roster, while second-round rookie Jack Bech has barely seen the field.
You probably aren't finding an elite No. 1 receiver in the third round, but Indiana's Elijah Sarratt is an intriguing prospect for a team that's looking for a possession receiver. Sarratt won't burn many defenses, but he's got the hands and route-running ability to keep the chains moving, which is something the Raiders could use.
This would also be a spot to look at Clemson's Antonio Williams and Alabama's Germie Bernard if either drops out of the second round. I don't expect either to be available here, but if they are, they present more upside than Sarratt.