After trading for Geno Smith during the early free agency period, the Las Vegas Raiders just locked him in yesterday with a two-year extension worth up to $85.5 million.
This should seemingly take the Raiders out of the quarterback draft market, at least in the first round. However, they are still very interested in one particular quarterback prospect that has been flying up draft boards as of late.
Ben Garrett of On3 spoke with Locked On Raiders Podcast host Your Boy Q, and he mentioned that the Raiders are interested in Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.
“He said he’s gonna be attending the draft, so that tells you where he thinks this thing’s kind of headed,” Garrett told Q. “And the Raiders are another top 30 visit that he’s supposed to be taking as well.”
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Three months ago, Dart was seen as a 2nd or 3rd round selection. Now there is talk that he won’t make it out of the top 10. So, if the Raiders do fall in love with him, they will have to use their 6th overall pick to take him, or they could potentially trade back to the early teens and hope that he falls to them there.
Dart began his college career with the USC Trojans. Once Lincoln Riley was hired and Caleb Williams followed him over from Oklahoma, Dart transferred to Ole Miss.
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The 6’2, 225-pound quarterback finished last season with 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.
While using a first-round pick, especially a top 10 one, on a player that may not play for 2-3 years may seem like a waste, but if Dart is viewed by the Raiders as their next franchise QB, you don’t wait to pull the trigger.
Many will reference what Green Bay has done over the years, but you can also look as recent as this past year when the Atlanta Falcons selected Michael Penix Jr. 8th overall after just signing Kirk Cousins to a massive four-year contract.
This thing may start picking up more and more steam.