Well, college football must be really living in the future. It has only been a few days since the 2025 NFL Draft had put down the curtains. But so what? The analysts are already ready with their mock drafts for the 2026 NFL Draft. Turns out that Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders might catch some bad juju when it comes to their franchise quarterback. In the next draft, they are likely to make a faulty move by counting on a South Carolina star. But what made the analyst predict a draft full of mistakes for Brady’s program? Their history. In 2025, they went too easy with the draft, and they might now be ripping off their nails in regret on how they lost elite quarterbacks.

Right now, the college football program who have gained momentum in the 2026 NFL draft is Shane Beamer’s South Carolina Gamecocks. They have a couple of players who are going to take that leap to the pro league. Their quarterback, LaNorris Sellers, is one of them. CBS Sports released their latest 2026 NFL mock draft, and they had Sellers as the third quarterback off the board. The first overall pick is going to the Texas Longhorns’ Arch Manning, followed by Penn State’s Drew Allar. In that case, Sellers’ luck is projected to be going off the shelves as the sixth overall pick to the Las Vegas Raiders. So, what’s the situation now in Las Vegas?

Well, Geno Smith will turn 35 next season, so he could start and play most, if not all, of the 2026 season before giving way to Sellers. Now, will this be the right choice? Well, analyst Gerald V Dixon and Brad Crawford did not sound very confident. They came up with their list of ‘The riskiest quarterback among Top 10.’ As Dixon shared, “I’m gonna say it’s LaNorris Sellers. It’s not because of his talent but it’s because of his time in pass being the pocket quarterback. Yes, he is a great runner… but last year he got banged up. Why? Because he wanted to get out of the pocket too much.” There have been many areas where the quarterback has put up some shaky feats.

For instance, turnovers are a killer to any offensive drive, and this was a struggle for Sellers in 2024. Going by the stats, Beamer’s quarterback finished the year with 7 interceptions and was attributed with 11 fumbles. So, Sellers is carrying a burden of 18 fumbles, and obviously, it’s not a good sign for any head coach in the pro league. On that note, Dixon suggested, “We need to see him throw over that 700-800 throws and make over 20 starts in order to look at him as a viable option right now, to be NFL ready… 3rd and 6 can’t run all the time.” Crawford then tagged along.

He highlighted how the quarterback defeated the Top 20 Texas A&M with a 90-yard run, and also had beaten Cade Klubnik on his home field. But there exists a major concern. As the analyst pointed out, “We know LaNorris is talented but there are first round picks in quarterbacks in last two years who have been studs, and South Carolina does not have that. They didn’t sign a single wide receiver in the portal.” Now, can Brady and the Raiders afford to make another mistake? 

How can Las Vegas’ LaNorris Sellers plan prove to be a hit?  

Going by how the 2025 NFL Draft unfolded for Las Vegas, they must tread with caution. Ever since the mock draft discussions began, people thought that Shedeur Sanders would land with the Raiders. They had the chance to land the Colorado Buffaloes quarterback, but he landed with the Cleveland Browns as the round 5 pick. In the meantime, they repeatedly passed on Shedeur. Instead, they went with Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, landing him as the sixth overall pick.

In that process, they had let go of certain gems like Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe. However, it’s too early to lose hope for the 2026 draft. After all, Sellers has still got one year to go before he commits to the pro league. And head coach Beamer has set out a clear ultimatum. On April 15, the head coach faced the media and said, “Let’s be real. He’s the leader of the offense; he’s the leader of this football team. So whether he likes it or not, he’s got to embrace that role in his own way. Don’t be somebody you’re not.”  

While Shane Beamer wants LaNorris Sellers to up his game ASAP, Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator Mike Shula follows a ‘slow and steady wins the race’ kind of formula. As the quarterback needs to develop more in going through his progressions and hitting open receivers downfield, the coach believes that he will soon figure it out. “We’re not there yet with all the guys that are going to be playing with the timing with those guys and LaNorris, but you know we don’t, we don’t need to be there yet… We’ll evaluate all this at the end of the off-season.” So, can Sellers shake the ‘risky’ label and gamble his way into Vegas next year and prove his worth to the Raiders and their minority stakeholder, Tom Brady?