How Dante Moore's Decision Upped the Ante for the Raiders

Things just got much more interesting for the Las Vegas Raiders and its plans for the NFL Draft. Las Vegas is in desperate need of improved play from the quarterback position. The Raiders have the No. 1 pick and their pick of any player in the draft, which most people believe will be a quarterback.

Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore were the top two quarterbacks expected to be drafted this offseason. However, Moore has other plans: he will return to Oregon for another season. While the Raiders may or may not have been interested in drafting Moore, him returning to college is huge.

Raiders' Options

Choosing which quarterback to draft is no longer an option, as this draft class is weak at quarterback. It is now Mendoza as the draft's best quarterback by a large margin. Should the Raiders want Mendoza, there is little way they can overthink the decision if they are set on taking a quarterback.

Las Vegas still has another option, though. With Moore returning to college, that option must be considered now more than ever for the Raiders. Moore's absence from this draft has now driven up the value of the No. 1 pick the Raiders hold. This puts them in the driver seat in multiple ways.

The Raiders could draft Mendoza and address a subpar quarterback situation that has plagued them for several seasons. Or, the Raiders could trade the No. 1 pick to another quarterback-needy team, for the right price. That price has now gone up, which means the Raiders must consider it.

Las Vegas needs a quarterback, but it is much more than a quarterback away from consistently competing. Should the right offer come across Raiders General Manager John Spytek's desk, he would be doing the franchise a disservice not to strongly consider it.

The Raiders could add additional picks, including another first-round pick in a future draft. The Chicago Bears traded the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers in the 2023 draft for a first-round pick in the following year's draft and a second-round pick two drafts later.

The Raiders could reel in a similar haul. Or, they could go the safe route and draft the quarterback that is right there for the taking. Mendoza looks as pro-ready as it gets. Spytek knows how critical it is to make the right decision with the draft's top pick.

"The league is littered with when you get the top pick right, those guys are franchise-altering players. There's probably no more important hire in an NFL organization than the head coach. They're the daily guy. They set the vision, they set the cadence. They are what touches the players every day and demand excellence from players. And the players are the ones that have to go out there and do it,” Spytek said.

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