ESPN analyst calls Shedeur Sanders 'perfect fit' for Raiders, fires jab at Mel Kiper Jr.

With the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders will have options. But with a need at quarterback, Shedeur Sanders could be in play, should he fall down the board.

However, other quarterback-needy teams sit ahead of Las Vegas on the board. Still, ESPN’s Field Yates projected Sanders to fall to the Raiders in his latest mock draft – and fellow analyst Jordan Reid called him a “perfect fit.”

Reid’s analysis wasn’t without a jab at Mel Kiper Jr., though. He pointed out new coach Pete Carroll’s age as a reason the Raiders could want to win now, and Sanders could help give them that chance. Carroll is 74, and Reid made sure to remind Kiper of that fact.

“I think it’s a perfect fit, just because when we’re talking about the Tom Brady and the Shedeur Sanders connection, that’s an obvious one. But this is team that I feel like wants to win right away,” Reid said on SportsCenter Special Tuesday. “No offense to Mel, Pete Carroll will be 74 years old at the beginning of next season.

“This is a team I feel is a franchise needs a quarterback desperately, and Shedeur Sanders is the type of player that I think of all the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, is the most polished passer in this year’s group and has a chance to be the best in Year 1 right away just because of how well he sees the field. A 74% completion percentage a season ago, which was the best in the country. He has a skillset that translates right away on the next level.”

Kiper, of course, played along. He chuckled at Reid’s one-liner and responded with a joke of his own about his age.

“Jordan, a lot of days, I feel like I’m 84, pal,” responded Kiper, 64, with a smile. “I’m right with you on that one.”

Why the Raiders need to avoid letting history repeat

Last season, the Raiders were in a similar spot. They needed a quarterback and held the No. 13 overall pick. It looked like former Washington star Michael Penix Jr. could be in play, but the Atlanta Falcons swooped in with the No. 8 overall selection and took him off the board. The Raiders eventually took Brock Bowers, who had a standout rookie year.

As a result, Las Vegas had to roll with Gardner Minshew, Desmond Ridder and Aidan O’Connell. With a new head coach in Pete Carroll coming in, it marks a good time to revamp the quarterback spot. ESPN’s Adam Schefter linked the Raiders to pending free agent Sam Darnold after a huge year with the Minnesota Vikings.

Whether it’s Darnold or Shedeur Sanders, though, Kiper had a message for Las Vegas. He implored the franchise to avoid letting history repeat itself.

“They didn’t get the quarterback last year, Michael Penix Jr., right? Because they sat where they were,” Kiper said. “They had to settle for Brock Bowers – who by the way, was my sixth-highest rated player. How’d that work out? Brock Bowers is phenomenal. So do you go Sam Darnold and then, get a player instead of the quarterback? Or do you say, ‘Shedeur’s our guy. We don’t need Darnold. We’re in a division now with [Patrick] Mahomes, [Justin] Herbert and [Bo] Nix. We can’t be fourth, and we’re in the AFC with all the great quarterbacks.’ They’ve got to figure it out. Is it Darnold? Is it Shedeur?

“They’re gonna get one of those two, and they also have to worry about at six, what happened last year. What happens if the quarterbacks are gone? What happens if somebody goes up and gets Shedeur, like the New York Jets, and they’re stuck at six with no quarterback and Sam Darnold goes somewhere else? It’s going to be really interesting to see how the Raiders attack this because somehow, some way, it’s Shedeur Sanders, Sam Darnold. Somebody’s got to be the quarterback in that AFC West, and it’s going to be fun to see how they attack it.”