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The\u00a0Geno Smith experiment in Las Vegas appears to be failing. Smith has been a turnover machine all season and the\u00a0Las Vegas Raiders\u00a0have struggled in a tough AFC West, with the team currently in line to pick sixth in the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0keep losing games to move up naturally\u00a0or trade up, it’s possible that they won’t find Smith’s successor in Round 1.<\/p>\n
Let’s take a look at what the first three rounds of the NFL Draft will look like for the Las Vegas Raiders<\/p>\n
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?<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
I don’t hate drafting Downs here! Sure, safety isn’t the biggest position of need for Vegas, but it is\u00a0a<\/em>\u00a0position 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u00a0<\/p>\n The Philadelphia Eagles walked out of Detroit with a hard-earned 16\u20139 victory, a game defined by bruising defense and relentless pressure. But inside the locker room, there was no loud celebration. A.J. Brown \u2014 usually fiery, usually expressive \u2014 sat silently at his locker, helmet by his feet, frustration etched across his face.<\/p>\n It had been a complicated night: a rare dropped touchdown, a miscommunication on a key route, and only 47 yards for a receiver who always demands more of himself.<\/p>\n A.J. Brown on the win:<\/p>\n After the game, Brown finally spoke, voice low:
\u201cWinning doesn\u2019t erase everything\u2026 I\u2019m supposed to set the tone. Tonight I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we had lost this one, that\u2019s on me. I wasn\u2019t sharp, and I put the offense in bad situations. Watching my guys grind twice as hard to make up for my mistakes \u2014 that hurts me more than anything. But they never doubted me. They still believed. And that makes me swear I won\u2019t ever fail them again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n