Colorado Buffaloes' Shedeur Sanders Seen With Raiders' Geno Smith Before NFL Draft

Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders posted a picture on social media with new Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith. The Raiders have the No. 6 overall pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. Will the Raiders try to draft Sanders and have him sit behind and learn from Smith this season?

With a little over a month to go before the draft, rumors and narratives about each draft prospect are flying around. Shedeur's latest social media post is seemingly fanning the flames for those who want Las Vegas to select Sanders.

Sanders To Join Geno Smith, Pete Carroll In Las Vegas?

The Las Vegas Raiders have had an eventful offseason. They started off things by letting go coach Antonio Pierce after just one season where Las Vegas went 4-13. Las Vegas hired veteran coach Pete Carroll as coach. Carroll has had three different NFL coaching stops dating back to the 1990’s with the New York Jets, New England Patriots, and Seattle Seahawks. He also coached the USC Trojans in the early 2000’s.

Carroll most recently was the Seahawks coach from 2010 through 2023. He led Seattle to their first Super Bowl win in the 2013 season. Something of note with Carroll is he coached Geno Smith with the Seahawks in 2022 and 2023. One year removed from his final season with Smith in Seattle, the two are reunited in Las Vegas with the Raiders. 

Geno Smith has had a rollercoaster of an NFL career. He was selected in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, but never found his footing with the Jets. After struggles on the field and injuries, he was not re-signed after the 2016 season. 

Smith then bounced around the league as a backup with the New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers, and Seattle Seahawks. It looked like he would never be starting quarterback again, but Carroll rolled with Smith as the starting quarterback in 2022 after the departure of Russell Wilson. 

He has a career resurgence and won NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2022 and made the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023. Smith took a step back in 2024, but being back with Carroll could help him get back to where he was the year prior. 

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Shedeur Sanders Draft Projection

Shedeur Sanders is projected to be one of the top quarterbacks taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. Most mock drafts have Sanders being taken after Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward. The draft isn't projected to be deep with elite quarterbacks in the first round, so it would be a shock if Sanders drops lower than that.

The teams with the top six picks are the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Las Vegas Raiders, in that order. Tennessee, Cleveland, and New York desperately need a quarterback. The Raiders may have to trade up if they want to get Sanders.