The Las Vegas Raiders made a bold move this offseason by trading for quarterback Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks, reuniting him with newly appointed head coach Pete Carroll. The team clearly believes in the 34-year-old veteran, rewarding him with a two-year, $75 million extension that locks him in through the 2027 season.
Still, CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani has the Raiders making another quarterback move in his recent mock draft. He projects Las Vegas trading up with the Philadelphia Eagles to grab the No. 32 overall pick and select Ole Miss quarterback. Dajani explains the logic behind the move, noting that it would allow the Raiders to jump ahead of other QB-needy teams like the Browns (No. 33) and Giants (No. 34), while also giving them the advantage of a fifth-year option on Dart’s rookie contract by picking him in the first round.
He is coming off the best season of his college career, completing 276 of 398 passes for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns, and just six interceptions, while leading the FBS with a 180.7 passer efficiency rating. The idea of the Raiders drafting a quarterback isn’t far-fetched, especially considering they’ve brought in several QB prospects for pre-draft visits, including Miami’s Cam Ward, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, and Dart himself.
Dart is widely seen as a quarterback who would benefit from sitting early in his career. As The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen noted, “Ideally, Dart will get drafted to a team where he can sit.” That setup would align well with Las Vegas, where Dart could learn behind Geno Smith. And with Smith under contract for the next three seasons, Dart would still have two years remaining on his rookie deal—thanks to a potential fifth-year option—by the time he’d be expected to take over.