REPORT: Mock Draft Expert Has Star QB Falling to Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders still need a head coach and general manager, but the NFL Draft is looming and there has remained a focus on the most important day for acquiring young talent in the NFL.
The Silver and Black have a plethora of needs, from addressing the quarterback position to a secondary that might be a player away from breaking out. No player has shared more headlines with the Raiders than Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, arguably the most high-profile prospect in this year's draft.
Throughout the past season, Sanders made many hints on social media as to his interest in playing for the Raiders; the Silver and Black was mutually interested, too. However, their late-season win surge cost them the No. 1 pick and the belief was that it cost them Sanders unless they made a move to trade up.
However, a recent mock draft from a respected mock drafter, The Athletic's Dane Brugler, predicts the Buffaloes star to fall right into the hands of the Raiders at No. 6.
"There are a ton of mixed opinions in the league about Sanders, and it will be interesting to see how (or if) that changes throughout the draft process once coaches get involved," Brugler wrote. "But with Mark Davis and Tom Brady heavily influencing this pick, I’m not sure the Raiders could pass on Sanders — although, hopefully the new head coach and general manager will have a say in that decision."
The idea that Sanders could fall in the draft, or at the very least see his stock fluctuate, isn't new. Or unfounded. NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero discussed it with Rich Eisen not long ago. With an already iffy draft class, it's no surprise.
""Some of the most commonly talked about names could end up being projected lower than anybody realizes," Pelissero said. "Shedeur Sanders for a variety of reasons is going to be a really fascinating overall evaluation. I've already to talked to people within the league that don't have anything close to a first-round grade on the guy. He certainly has fans, he certainly comes in with a high-profile, but this idea that, what did Shedeur do, did he walk into a bowl game wearing a Giants outfit, something like that? The idea that he's going to walk in being the No. 1 pick -- that's probably pushing it.
"If I were guessing who comes off the board first, I'd say Shedeur's not the first Colorado player off the board as it stands today. ... Somebody may fall in love with Shedeur Sanders, he could go No. 1 overall. I would just say, in my conversations, there is healthy skepticism among people in the league that when it comes to the end of this process when we get to that last week of April, that somebody's going to jump out there and use a really high pick in making him a franchise [quarterback]."
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