Raiders 'Remain Open' to Picking QB in NFL Draft amid Shedeur Sanders Rumors, GM Says

Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek says his organization will stay "open-minded" about selecting a quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft.

Some mock drafts have predicted the Raiders will use the No. 6 pick to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders when the draft begins next Friday in Green Bay.

"Anybody that can help us at that position in particular is going to be up for consideration," Spytek told reporters during a Friday press conference.

"You guys have all done your investigative journalism well enough to know that we've brought some quarterbacks in, and that wasn't by accident, by any means. We remain open to the most important position in sports, to get right."

The Raiders have brought in Sanders along with Miami's Cam Ward, Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart, Louisville's Tyler Shough, Alabama's Jalen Milroe, Texas' Quinn Ewers and Ohio State's Will Howard for Top 30 visits ahead of the draft, according to multiple reports compiled by NFL Trade Rumors.

But Spytek also indicated he will consider taking a running back high in the upcoming draft.

When asked about the possibility of the Raiders targeting Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Spytek said he would "be careful" talking about specific players but expressed his belief in the importance of the position.

"We just saw Saquon Barkley change the Eagles in one year," Spytek said. "Now, they had a great team around him, and it was adding an elite player. I think when you sit where we sit, the idea is to add elite players at any position. I don't try to devalue any certain position... I don't know where we got to a place where we don't feel like running backs are valued.

"I come from the University of Michigan, to my core, and those guys were certainly really valued there. So, it's hard for me to get away from that."

The Raiders ranked last in the NFL with 79.8 rushing yards per game last season. Raheem Mostert is currently projected as RB1 after a down season with the Miami Dolphins.

No running backs were selected in the quarterback-heavy first round of the 2024 NFL draft, although Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs are two recent Day 1 success stories from 2023. Former Raiders general manager Tom Telesco was in charge when the franchise last used a first-round pick on a running back by drafting Josh Jacobs in 2019.