Raiders are on Jalen Milroe's radar despite Las Vegas' $75,000,000 investment in Geno Smith: Report

The Las Vegas Raiders' plan for the quarterback position in 2025 turned out to be an interesting one. Instead of being in the position of needing to reach for a quarterback at the top of the first round this week, the franchise added veteran Geno Smith on a deal involving a third-round pick with the Seattle Seahawks.

The short-term is fixed, but problems for upcoming seasons remain. Smith is 34 years old and has never established himself as a franchise quarterback. His contract extension added just two years, and Las Vegas will soon have to scramble for new solutions at the position.

Using the sixth pick on a quarterback is highly unlikely in the current situation. However, the franchise could explore the idea of a developmental passer in the middle rounds as he sits and learn behind Smith. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler thinks that this player could be Alabama's Jalen Milroe, according to Bleacher Report:

"ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the 'Las Vegas Raiders, I know, are on Milroe's radar because they have Geno Smith.' Fowler added that the Raiders 'would be a team he would love to go to to slide behind Smith for a couple of years and learn.'"

Smith's two-year, $85 million extension keeps him under contract until the 2027 season. Jalen Milroe's draft stock, according to many analysts, sees him as a Day 2 pick.

Will Jalen Milroe make it to Day 2? NFL analyst says the league wants to avoid a "Will Levis situation"

Jalen Milroe has been invited to attend the NFL draft in Green Bay; attendees are usually picked in the first round. In 2023, however, quarterback Will Levis attended the event but was pictured as an agonizing figure, as his name was not called in the first round.

The league reportedly viewed that situation as a bad look. As such, reporter Andy Staples believes that Milroe's invite for the draft shows the NFL's confidence in the Alabama quarterback as a first-round pick:

"The NFL does not want a Will Levis situation to happen ever again. They do not want somebody sitting at the green room to be falling asleep 'cause they're not getting picked in the first round. The suggestion here is that, if he has accepted this invitation, he feels confident he's getting picked in the first round."

Where can the Raiders pick Jalen Milroe in the 2025 NFL draft?

The Raiders will return to the clock with the 37th pick, but they might have to move up and return to the first night with a trade-up. Jalen Milroe's draft stock is far behind the top of the first round.

One possibility could be a move up late in the first round to guarantee the fifth-year option. The Baltimore Ravens made the move in 2018, moving to the final pick of the first round to acquire quarterback Lamar Jackson.