Breaking news: Baltimore Ravens Sensational TE who is even taller than Darren Waller is signed by the Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders had a relatively quiet free agency, preferring small moves over big splashes, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any moves to be made. The Raiders have signed tight end Qadir Ismail, despite the fact that their tight end room may be the team’s strongest position group. The Raiders have been concentrating most of their attention on the 2025 NFL Draft in recent weeks.
Interestingly, Ismail is the nephew of Raghib “Rocket” Ismail, a former wide receiver with the Raiders. Although he is much larger, he did not inherit his uncle’s quickness. He is even taller than 6-foot-6 former great tight end Darren Waller, standing at 6-foot-7.
After being undrafted, Ismail played with the Baltimore Ravens last season. The Raiders last acquired a young, inactive tight end from the Ravens when they acquired Waller from their practice squad.
Given that Brock Bowers of Las Vegas already has a chance to establish himself as the NFL’s top tight end next season, it’s hard to imagine Ismail following in his footsteps. In any case, Ismail is a large, athletic tight end with interesting potential if given the opportunity by the organization.
There are now two offensive pillars for the Raiders.
Bowers may have won the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award last season if Jayden Daniels hadn’t had what was likely the best rookie season for a quarterback in history. He set every major rookie tight end record last season, and it’s evident that he has the opportunity to be an all-time star.
Bowers was regarded as one of the best prospects the previous season, but his positional value caused him to fall to pick 13. Many pundits felt that running back Ashton Jeanty was a top-three talent in the class, but once again, positional importance contributed to him dropping to the Raiders.
Bowers and Jeanty will provide the team with two attacking pillars for many years to come.
Talking about Jeanty Pick, John Spytek
The Raiders’ decision to choose a running back with such a high draft pick was much debated. A player for Las Vegas almost broke the record for most rushing yards in a single college football season, yet the team had the worst running offense in the NFL the previous season.
John Spytek made this choice as his first general manager choice, and it’s reasonable to assume he doesn’t regret it.
“There’s a lot of things to talk about, but one of the things is he was hard to tackle,” Spytek told reporters after Round 1. “I mean, guys couldn’t get him on the ground. … That skill to make people miss and to bounce off tackles and to use the force of the tacklers, he had marvelous talent in that regard.
“He can do everything, he can run with power, he can find the spacing he needs to make the plays, and he has that amazing ability, just on any play, he can score, and that’s just such an exciting aspect to add to our football team. We just feel very fortunate,” the statement reads.
