Quarterbacks For Raiders to Watch in 2026 NFL Draft

The Las Vegas Raiders made a critical move in the 2025 offseason that will set them up for success next season. The Raiders went after and traded for veteran quarterback Geno Smith. Smith has turned his career around during his time in Seattle. A big part of that was the leadership of Raiders new head coach, Pete Carroll.

Carroll believed in Smith during their time together in Seattle and that was a big reason Carroll and the Raiders traded for Smith this offseason.

Now that the Raiders have Smith, they are set at the quarterback position for the 2025 season. But the Raiders are still looking for their quarterback of the future. In the 2025 NFL Draft the Raiders did not take any quarterbacks until the late rounds, but the Silver and Black can be waiting for the 2026 NFL Draft to take one early.

The 2026 quarterback draft class is much deeper than the 2025 draft class. We take a look at the quarterbacks the Raiders can be looking for.

The first is the early favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft, and that is Arch Manning out of the University of Texas.

Manning is a talented quarterback, if he were in the 2025 draft would have been the number one pick. Manning has everything an NFL team is looking for in a quarterback. Manning has a strong arm, is good in the pocket, and has to ability to extend plays with his legs. He also comes from a strong NFL family. His uncles are Peyton and Eli Manning.

The next quarter the Silver and Black can go after is Cade Klubnik out of Clemson.

"There might not have been a more improved quarterback in college football this past season than Klubnik. After placing 102nd among FBS signal-callers in 2023 with a 63.9 PFF passing grade, he ranked fifth in 2024 with an 87.7 mark. Only Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders threw more touchdowns than the junior (36), and they were regarded as two of the best quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Klubnik's 28 big-time throws also ranked fifth among all quarterbacks in college football," said Max Chadwick of PFF.

"The former top quarterback recruit in the 2022 high school class has excellent mobility and the arm talent to make any throw."

The 2026 quarterback draft class is deep. Other quarterbacks that will headline it are Garrett Nussmeier of LSU, Drew Allar of Penn State, Sam Leavitt of Arizona State, Carson Beck of Miami, Lanorris Sellers of South Carolina, Nico Iamaleava of UCLA, Taylen Green of Arkansas, and Fernando Mendoza of Indiana.

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