Sawyer Robertson
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Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson.
The Las Vegas Raiders are seemingly playing the waiting game until they can draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He’s been the presumed top pick for months, and there’s no reason to believe the Raiders have soured on that idea.
The team can’t afford to make the wrong decision at quarterback, so they have to make sure that Mendoza is the guy. There hasn’t been a lot of talk of them looking into other quarterbacks seriously.
The Raiders did work on a number of quarterbacks during the college football season, but they seem to be focused on Mendoza now. However, it appears they’ve spoken to at least one other quarterback.
Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson revealed at his Pro Day that he has had a Zoom meeting with the Raiders. Now, if the team is interested in Robertson, it’s not as a competitor for Mendoza. He would likely be a potential long-term backup option.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid has him as the 10th-ranked quarterback in the 2026 class and projects him to be a Day 3 pick or an undrafted free agent. The Raiders do have Aidan O’Connell on the roster, but they may not see him as a player they want to back up Mendoza going forward.
Draft Profile for Robertson
Robertson is coming off a couple of strong years at Baylor. He’s combined for 6,752 passing yards and 59 touchdowns the last two seasons. He also has good size at 6-foot-4.
The big reason he isn’t getting more hype heading into the draft is that he deals with some accuracy issues. He has only completed 60.5% of his passes throughout college. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein gave more insight in his draft profile for Robertson.
“Fifth-year senior with pro traits and arm talent,” Zierlein wrote. “Robertson possesses a quick release and good velocity, but his subpar touch, timing and accuracy are notable on the first two levels. He’ll need better eye discipline to keep linebackers and safeties from jumping passing lanes. He’s composed in the face of pressure and can make off-platform throws when needed. He’s mobile but won’t beat many teams with extended plays. A shift away from spread-based reads to a more balanced attack featuring traditional tight ends could help, but Robertson’s struggles with accuracy and ball placement could be tough to overcome.”
Should Raiders Have 2 Rookie QBs?
The Raiders are almost certainly going to add a veteran like Kirk Cousins or Derek Carr to the roster to help mentor Mendoza. That might make O’Connell expendable. He’s shown enough in his previous starts that he could likely earn a backup job somewhere.
It wouldn’t hurt to have a developmental rookie like Robertson stacked on the depth chart. Mendoza is the future of the franchise for the Raiders, but backups are becoming increasingly important. That’s why a player like Tyson Bagent can get a solid contract from the Chicago Bears despite Caleb Williams being entrenched as the starter.
It doesn’t hurt to start developing a potential long-term backup for Mendoza now so that they can grow together. Robertson has the size and arm strength to be an intriguing player to develop.