The Geno Smith experiment has not gone as planned for the Las Vegas Raiders through four games.
Smith was hailed as a massive upgrade for the Raiders at quarterback after he was acquired via trade during the offseason. However, Smith has struggled mightily in four contests and leads the NFL in interceptions.
The good news is, he is definitely better than either of Las Vegas' quarterbacks from 2024, Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell, but the bar isn't high there.
Smith is confirming what we already knew about him: the veteran signal-caller is just a temporary Band-Aid on a wound that has festered in Las Vegas for far too long.
No matter what happens the rest of the way, Las Vegas must explore its options at the quarterback position in the 2026 NFL draft. Smith is set to turn 35 and is only under contract through 2027 and is currently on pace to be cut before then.
USA TODAY's Ayrton Ostly predicts the Raiders will do what they should have done last offseason and spring for a quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft.
He has the Raiders drafting upstart Oklahoma signal-caller John Matter with the No. 7 pick next year.
With young talent at tight end, running back and wide receiver but an aging (and regressing) Geno Smith at quarterback, Las Vegas pulls the trigger on a young passer.
Mateer's currently sidelined with a broken bone in his throwing hand but if he recovers well, he should be in consideration for a top-10 pick. He's a creative runner who can extend plays as a dual-threat quarterback and create explosives. His performance against Michigan showed he can handle the tougher defenses in college football.
Mateer's path to potentially being one of the top quarterback prospects in next year's draft began last season, when he had a standout campaign at Washington State.
In his first year as the starter there, Mateer completed 64.6% of his passes for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns to seven picks. He also showed his dual-threat ability by logging 178 rushes for 826 yards and another 15 scores.
Mateer looks to be building on that impressive campaign in 2025 after transferring to Oklahoma. His completion percentage is up by over three percentage points (67.4%) and he has thrown for 1,215 yards and six touchdowns to three picks through four contests.
Mateer's rushing prowess has also once again been on full display with 190 yards.
The biggest concern with Mateer currently is his arm strength. He is a plus with his throws in the short-to-intermediate areas, but he hasn't shown enough on deep balls for us to be convinced he can excel in that area in the NFL.
But Mateer does check several other boxes thanks to his overall arm talent, pocket presence and athleticism. As a result, that could force teams to overlook his arm strength.
All that said, Mateer remains a total wild card for 2026. If his play falls off in the slightest, the Oklahoma star could fall out of first-round consideration, and quite possibly Day 2 consideration, also.
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