Raiders connected to franchise-altering draft night deal

For some teams higher up in the NFL Draft order, it is becoming clear what they are expected to do.

With the first pick, the Tennessee Titans appear to be selecting Miami quarterback Cam Ward. Other teams such as the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars have prospects near-unanimously being mocked to them. The Las Vegas Raiders are also in this group, with Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty the overwhelming favorite to go with the sixth overall pick.

However, the draft is never that predictable, and the Raiders could potentially target a team with multiple options to make some draft night magic happen.

The Raiders are in position to land an unprecedented talent with this move.

ESPN’s Tony Grossi proposed an interesting deal for the Raiders, where they give up the sixth and 37th picks and their second-round pick in 2026 to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the second overall pick. The Raiders ultimately use that selection to draft Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter, while the Browns draft his teammate in quarterback Shedeur Sanders at six.

“I think Shedeur Sanders [and] two No. 2s would be greater value than Hunter alone,” wrote Grossi. “Again, the Browns like Sanders, just not enough to take him at No. 2. But they would like him a lot more along with the Raiders’ second-round pick this year, No. 37 overall, plus another second-rounder in 2026.”

“So imagine this scenario: The Browns use No. 6 on Sanders to compete with Kenny Pickett for their starting QB job. With No. 33 and No. 37, they can fill pressing needs at running back and offensive tackle. Then they still have two third-rounders, No. 67 and No. 94, to address other positions.”

The framework of the deal is certainly up for alteration, possibly with the Raiders adding tight end Michael Mayer in order to reduce the value of that 2026 pick. However, a deal that allows the Browns to land their quarterback of the future in Sanders while stockpiling more picks for their rebuild would be hard to just ignore.

While trades of this magnitude are usually reserved for quarterbacks, Hunter is like nothing the NFL has ever seen before.

“I tell people, it’s not just the amount of plays that he played; he really made impact plays on both sides of the ball,” Raiders legend and Hall of Famer Charles Woodson said on Maxx Crosby’s podcast The Rush.

“As I see him in the NFL, he’s such a dynamic athlete. For me, I don’t believe that he’s the type of player that you want to just have on the sideline for 50-60 snaps a game, depending on what side of the ball he’s on.”

Hunter is the type of prospect that would bring attention to the Raiders on and off the field, and this deal is exactly what they can use to bring him to Las Vegas.