CBS Sports: The Raiders have announced their choice to add a spectacular quarterback from Miami to replace Minshew and O’Connell.

Since the Derek Carr era ended in 2022, the Las Vegas Raiders haven’t had genuine hope at quarterback. However, the forthcoming NFL draft may give the team’s supporters the hope they’ve been without for the last three seasons. Depending on where the Raiders make their selections in the process and which quarterbacks are available when they do, it is unclear what exact shape that hope may take. The Raiders would choose No. 2 overall, behind the New York Giants, if the NFL held the draft tomorrow. Both clubs would probably need a new signal caller.

Cam Ward of Miami and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado seem to have separated as the top two quarterback prospects on most draft boards, meaning that one of them is probably going to the desert—that is, if the Raiders don’t end their winning streak and fall far in the draft.

On November 27, Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report made the prediction that Ward will eventually join the Raiders as the team’s replacement for the subpar Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell.

“The B/R Scouting Department’s highest-rated QB prospect [Ward] has 34 touchdown passes in 11 games this season for Miami,” said Gagnon. “This might as well be Ward with the Giants and Sanders in Las Vegas. In any case, given their current… records, both clubs are well-positioned to dominate the early quarterback board, and neither team, in my opinion, will pass on a signal-caller.” Ward is headed for one of the most successful seasons in recent memory and is one of the contenders to win college football’s coveted Heisman Trophy. The quarterback led the Hurricanes to a 10-1 record going into Saturday’s game against Syracuse with 3,774 yards of passing, 34 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions.

Late in the fourth quarter, with his team trailing 42-38 and depending on the defense to regain possession and give the quarterback a chance for yet more late-game heroics in what will be his final season of collegiate football, Ward had thrown for 349 yards (passing 4,000 yards for the season) and two touchdowns against Syracuse.