Former Longhorns Quinn Ewers participates in Texas' Pro Day at the Texas Football Training Facility on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Report: Raiders Linked to Texas Longhorns Star

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Michael France | Last updated Apr 23, 2025 11:04 AM ET

If the Las Vegas Raiders take a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, it will be in the mid-to-late rounds. That puts them in firm position to take developmental quarterbacks to sit behind Geno Smith for a season or two, such as Ohio State's Will Howard or Texas' Quinn Ewers.

The former visited with the Raiders, and the interest seems extensive. CBS Sports' John Breech projects the Raiders to take Ewers in the fourth round with the No. 108 pick.

"Pete Carroll hand-picked his starting quarterback in Las Vegas by making a trade for Geno Smith and if he wants to hand-pick his backup QB, he'll have the chance to that in the draft," wrote Breech . "Right now, Aidan O'Connell is the No. 2 guy, but it won't be surprising at all if the Raiders try to replace him at some point in the draft and we have them doing that here with Ewers. The Texas QB has said he'd love to play for Pete Carroll and the Raiders would likely love if they were able to get Ewers on Day 3 of the draft."

Per a scouting report from NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, Ewers has a third-round value:

"Ewers' arm talent and game flashes are enticing, but he hasn’t learned to play the game with a high enough level of consistency. The tape of road wins over Alabama and Michigan over the last two seasons showed the clearest picture of Ewers’ ceiling. He spins it with a sudden release and good touch over the first two levels and makes it look easy when he finds a rhythm. He won a high percentage of his career starts but struggled to put points on the board in most big games in 2024. Ewers rarely operates as a smooth, full-field reader. He often predetermines his target and throws into coverage instead of taking what the defense is offering. A lack of escapability will require him to process quickly enough to stay ahead of NFL blitz packages. The raw talent and upside will be alluring for pro-style passing attacks, but it’s fair to wonder if he will ever be able to rise above the talent on his roster and the ability of his play-caller to create favorable terms."

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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