Is this finally the offseason when the Las Vegas Raiders stop going around in circles and actually do something, or will it be another year of watching other teams make the moves they refuse to?
That’s essentially the question Dane Brugler poses in his first 2026 mock draft, which arrives just as the Raiders’ postseason hopes officially evaporate and the offseason begins ahead of schedule. Brugler has both Cleveland and Las Vegas making aggressive pushes for their future passers, with the Browns trading up to No. 1 for Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. Then comes the Raiders’ swing: a move up from No. 4 to No. 2, leapfrogging the Saints to grab Oregon’s Dante Moore.
Dante Moore to the Raiders makes sense, right?
On paper, it makes sense. The Raiders’ Geno Smith experiment has fizzled, and the organization has spent years hovering just outside the quarterback splash zone. Brugler’s mock suggests the present could be the moment they actually go get one.
But is Moore the type of player worth breaking character for? At 20 years old with fewer than 20 career starts, he’s still developing. And with Oregon’s NIL muscle, he has every incentive to stay in school. Yet Brugler notes Moore’s poise, command of the offense and innate accuracy—traits that often separate long-term starters from cautionary tales.
Still, Raider Nation has seen this movie before. Last year, the team held the sixth pick and found no quarterback worth taking. Two years ago, they watched six passers go before their selection at No. 13, including Bo Nix to the rival Broncos—a player who has beaten them in every meeting and visits Vegas again Sunday. And before that, the Raiders took Tyree Wilson at No. 7 while elite quarterback talent went first and second.
So here’s the real question: Is this finally the offseason the Raiders stop reacting and start acting? Or will 2026 simply become another chapter in the franchise’s long-running “Almost Got Our Quarterback” saga?
*Top Photo: Getty Images