The Geno Smith experiment hasn’t worked out for the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders traded for Smith back in March and then signed him to a two-year contract extension in order to be the team’s starting signal-caller. Unfortunately, the results speak for themselves.
The Raiders are just 2-9 on the season. They recently relieved offensive coordinator Chip Kelly of his duties and Smith has had an underwhelming campaign individually. He leads the league in interceptions with 13, and he’s thrown the same numbers of touchdowns as interceptions, which isn’t ideal. Overall, he just hasn’t been able to elevate the Raiders in the way that the front office had hoped.
Raiders add Oregon QB Dante Moore in first round of 2026 NFL mock draft
As a result, the Raiders are projected to add a replacement for Smith in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft in a recent mock draft from Nate Tice and Charles McDonald of Yahoo Sports.
In the mock, the Raiders use their top overall pick in the draft to select Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, who is in the midst of his first season as a full-time starter for the Ducks. While Moore is a bit light on experience, his potential could be very intriguing for NFL teams.
From Yahoo:
“The Raiders will be starting yet another rebuild in short order here, unless ownership decides that it doesn’t want to pay for yet another coaching staff not to actually work for the club. Whether Pete Carroll returns as head coach or not, the Raiders need to find a new quarterback, since the Geno Smith trade has been a surprising disaster. Here, they take Moore, who has started only one season in college but has the high-end traits teams seek at the top of the draft.”
There will also be other options for the Raiders when it comes to the quarterback position early in the draft. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza is another intriguing prospect, as it Ty Simpson from Alabama.
There’s also no guarantee that the Raiders will use their top pick on a quarterback, as they certainly have other needs on the roster. They would benefit from strengthening the secondary and bolstering the defensive line, for starters.
Quarterback is certainly on the list though, so it seems like that Las Vegas will add at least one through the draft, either in the first round or later on.