5-star QB Dylan Raiola will be a No. 1 pick, says Dan Orlovsky

At Detroit Lions training facility in 2014, an 8-year-old son of one of the veterans would come to practice almost everyday with a baseball and catcher’s mitt.

Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, and other players on the team would take the baseball and whizz fastballs towards him. The son would catch the pitches like the ball was a “marshmallow,” remembers ESPN NFL Analyst and former backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky.

The child making every catch was Dylan Raiola, now the No. 1 player in the 2024 recruiting class.

“It was nothing to him,” ESPN NFL Analyst Dan Orlovsky told On3. “I don’t think at the moment, any of us, were surprised by that… but now that I watch him, I am like, yeah, that was the kid that we threw 85-mph fastballs at him at the age of eight, didn’t blink.”

Orlovsky and Dylan’s father, Dom Raiola, played together from 2006-2008 and then in 2014 with the Lions.

After Raiola retired in 2014, he and Orlovsky stayed in contact as friends. Dylan’s football aptitude never really came up in conversation until about 18 months ago when he was sent a video of Raiola.

Orlovsky couldn’t believe his eyes.

“I responded back to him with this; Dom, that dude is special. He looks like Patrick Mahomes. He is a top 10 pick. That was off one clip,” Orlovsky said.

Orlovsky said it was immediately clear that Raiola’s body movement was not normal for his age, but instead a “God-given thing.” The angles and way he threw the football were next level.

“I think he is very aware of how talented he is and I think he is very aware of how bright his future could be, but I don’t think in any way that he is caught up in it,” Orlovsky said.

What also stands out to Orlovsky is the way Raiola behaves off the field. The two have talked a lot over the past year and Orlovsky said Raiola was clearly raised the right way.

He treats Orlovsky with respect.

“He has special ability, special character, special drive, and special motivation,” Orlovsky said. “I honestly believe Dylan will be a No. 1 pick. He has what it takes to be that guy.”

Drew Stanton says Dylan Raiola is ‘different’ processing information

Raiola trasnferred over winter break to Chandler (Ariz.) High, where his new quarterback coach is another one of his father’s old teammates, Drew Stanton.

Stanton played with Raiola on the Lions from 2007-2011 and then played in the league until the end of the decade.

He said it has been a lot of fun getting to work with Raiola over the last few months, and that Raiola has showed great initiative.

“The biggest thing for me is his ability to process,” Stanton said. “You don’t see many 16-year old young men that have the ability to take feedback, not take it personal, and to go out and implement it. Whether it’s mechanical, talking football, or all the different things, he is different.”

He came from Burleson (Texas) High, where he had a great sophomore campaign for former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna. He compleyed 228 of 350 passes for 3,341 yards, 32 touchdowns and five interceptions in 12 games for a Texas 5A school, meaning the competition was stout.

“Physically, Dylan is as gifted as players in the NFL right now, but there also is that reminder he is only a 16-year old kid. He has to harness that ability and really understand what he’s got to work with,” Stanton said.

Some of the things they are working on now include some of the finer aspects of playing the quarterback position.

That includes locating the football in the perfect spot his pass catchers, improving his accuracy and using the lower half of his body.

“A lot that we have talked about is how important it is to use your lower body with every throw,” Stanton said. “So many quarterback coaches teach different things different ways, so as the pupil, Dylan has to take it and run with it. He has done such a great job with that. He corrects little things, he feels when he gets his body into it compared to throwing all arm, so he has really done a great job implementing the things we have worked on. His all arm is so powerful, but it can be so strong that it decreases the amount of accuracy. He has done so well working on the details.”

Raiola may be the No. 1 recruit in the land but his focus is on staying at the top of the game. Stanton said Raiola has the skills to viral-made trick shots, but Raiola doesn’t care about that. He wants to focus on making football movements.

That mindset also translates off the field. Stanton said Raiola has an ownership of his work and make-up that is not normal for someone at his age.

He added that multiple college coaches have noted that maturity level to him.

“Dylan Raiola encapsulates everything you want at a very young age that is just God-given and natural,” Stanton said.