As constructed, the Raiders are a plucky team whose defense is going to win them some games. The turnaround over the second half of the season created some good moments for the Raiders faithful, including a stunning upset of the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas.

Unfortunately, the Raiders quarterback situation makes it hard to believe they’ll be able to pull off those kind of wins on a consistent basis.

The defense is for real. Maxx Crosby is an elite edge rusher and the addition of Christian Wilkins through free agency will give them an even better defensive line.

But Gardner Minshew II is just a good bridge option who can help a team stick around .500 and Aidan O’Connell hasn’t done enough to believe that he’s the heir apparent.

The truth is the Raiders are still looking for a quarterback that can take the franchise to higher heights than Derek Carr did. So far, they haven’t found that guy.

Their best bet might be in the 2025 draft. The quarterback class doesn’t have the same hype has the 2024 class, but there are still a few options who could build a case to be top 10 options.

The Raiders have an impressive collection of weapons. Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers is a good core of skill players.

But the quarterback who can take that group to the next level isn’t on the roster and the 2025 draft might be their best option to find that player.