Raiders 2021 NFL draft: Young quarterbacks

On Tuesday, we looked at potential veteran backup quarterbacks for the Las Vegas Raiders to pursue if they trade Marcus Mariota.

Signing a veteran backup would be in character for Las Vegas coach Jon Gruden. His history is to have a veteran as his No. 2 and he may just keep Nathan Peterman, who already re-signed for the 2021 season, as his backup rather than his No. 3.

Also, developing rookie quarterbacks is not an easy thing to pull off. Many top-round quarterbacks in the draft don’t pan out and it gets more dicey the later quarterbacks are drafted. Plus, the Raiders have more pressing draft ends in the early rounds.

Still, if the Raiders decide to consider drafting a quarterback in the middle rounds there could be some decent options.

They include Florida’s Kyle Trask, Kellen Mond of Texas A&M, Jamie Newman of Wake Forest and Northwestern’s Peyton Ramsey.

Newman might be a name to keep tabs on. He’s a dual-threat quarterback who has a big arm. His opted to not play in 2020 to concentrate on the draft (but he was at the Senior Bowl) and his lack of 2020 tape could cause him to slide. He transferred to Georgia before opting out, but never played there.

Newman was considered a potential a first-round pick in 2021 a year ago. But if he slides and is available in the third round and the Raiders don’t add a veteran backup, Gruden may be tempted to take him.