Raiders Get Drew Allar After Passing on Shedeur Sanders in McShay 2026 NFL Mock Draft

After declining to take a quarterback until the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft, the Las Vegas Raiders addressed the position in the first round of NFL draft expert Todd McShay's early 2026 NFL mock draft.

McShay projected the Raiders to use the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft on Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in his first 2026 mock, which he posted Thursday on his YouTube channel (beginning at the 55:50 mark):

The top 10 selections in McShay's early 2026 mock draft are as follows:

1. New York Jets: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU

2. New Orleans Saints: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

3. New York Giants: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson

4. Los Angeles Rams (projected trade with TEN): LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina

5. Cleveland Browns: Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson

6. Carolina Panthers: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami

7. Las Vegas Raiders: Drew Allar, QB, Penn State

8. Indianapolis Colts: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

9. Cleveland Browns: T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson

10. New England Patriots: Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami

After struggling through mediocre quarterback play from Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell in 2024, the Raiders made a big move at quarterback this offseason, acquiring veteran signal-caller Geno Smith in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.

Vegas subsequently signed Smith to a two-year, $75 million extension after the trade, meaning he is under contract through 2027.

The Raiders had the opportunity to draft a quarterback such as Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart, Louisville's Tyler Shough or Alabama's Jalen Milroe, but they didn't grab one until North Dakota State's Cam Miller in the sixth.

While Smith's presence means the Seahawks don't have an immediate, pressing need under center, he is already 34 years of age and he has never won a playoff game as a starter.

The Raiders would be wise to start preparing for life after Smith, and taking Allar in the first round of the 2026 draft would give head coach Pete Carroll a skilled, high-ceiling quarterback to develop.

Over his two seasons as a collegiate starter, Allar has gone 23-6, and he led the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinal last season.

Allar made some strides in 2024 compared to the previous season, setting new career marks in completion percentage (66.5 percent), passing yardage (3,327), rushing yardage (302) and rushing touchdowns (six).

He was a bit more careless with the football, though, finishing with 24 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions after throwing 25 touchdowns and two picks in 2023.

Allar has a lot of improvements to make in 2025 in order to solidify himself as a top-10 draft pick, but given that he is mobile, has a strong arm and possesses ideal size at 6'5" and 236 pounds, his potential is as high as any draft-eligible quarterback.