Can One Player's Absence From Draft Be Telling for Raiders?

Shedeur Sanders was not invited to attend the NFL draft, does this mean he's no longer in consideration for the Las Vegas Raiders?

Jan 14, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders watches the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The list of rookies being invited to the NFL draft has come out, and one notable prospect did not make that list. Heading into the upcoming NFL draft, quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders's draft stock has been on a wild journey.

He was once hailed as a lock to be a pick and was seen as the clear second quarterback prospect of this draft class behind Cam Ward. However, as the off-season continued, his draft stock started to dwindle, and he began to slip down mock drafts.

It's gotten to a point where some analysts predict he'll be taken in the second round. It's crazy because he was once seen as a franchise quarterback, and now some analysts are projecting him to be a game manager in the NFL.

One of the teams early on who was predicted to draft Sanders was the Las Vegas Raiders, as they had the sixth overall pick in the draft and were in need of a franchise quarterback. Their trading for Geno Smith complicated things, but the point still remained that they didn't have the quarterback of their future.

Nowadays, the closest thing to a certainty in the draft is the Raiders selecting Ashton Jeanty with their high draft pick, as he was invited to attend the draft in person and is the only running back in this class to do so.

The Raiders' plans for the future at quarterback are unclear, but they may not necessarily have to worry about that right now. They extended Smith's contract, so he'll be on the team for the next two years.

Other quarterback prospects like Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe, and obviously Ward were invited, but Sanders not being on that short list may indicate NFL scouts aren't as high on him as some analysts might have been, and the possibility of him falling to the second round becomes even more realistic.

Despite him not attending the draft in person, I don't think there's a way he falls all the way down to the second round. His poise and accuracy are good enough for a team to take a chance on him, but if he is available, how insane would it be if the Raiders were to walk out with both Jeanty and Sanders in the same draft class?

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