Julian Edelman’s first taste of NFL reality came on a simple hook route during OTAs. A rookie quarterback-turned-receiver, he caught the pass from Tom Brady, then instinctively turned outside, ignoring the day’s coaching point about the lurking trap corner. The collision never came, but Brady’s voice did. “I was a rookie and young and dumb, caught the ball and turned out and heard Brady yelling at me. I was pretty terrified, it was Tom Brady,” he recalled years later. But that rookie misstep sparked a relentless drive.
He studied routes obsessively and refined his sense of spacing. Over time, it paid off spectacularly. Edelman delivered game-changing grabs in the playoffs. Think of the fingertip catch in Super Bowl LI and the MVP performance in Super Bowl LIII with 141 yards. He didn’t just adapt; he became the Patriots‘ most reliable wideout when it mattered most, establishing an elite relationship with his QB.
“So much of quarterback-receiver relationship is about trust… He (Edelman) and I just have had that,” Brady addressed his relationship with Edelman, his go-to guy. It was that shared vision that turned Edelman into his security blanket on third downs and in clutch moments. Maybe that’s why Brady, now part-owner of the Raiders, sees the blueprint for molding another college QB into a true NFL receiver.
Earlier this offseason, the Raiders acquired Geno Smith as their QB1, with Aidan O’Connell seeming to be the QB2. Then came the draft weekend, and the Raiders picked a couple of quarterbacks—NDSU’s Cam Miller and Montana State’s Tommy Mellott. Mellott started as a dual-threat QB in Montana. However, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein sees his NFL future differently—as a quarterback-turned-receiver. “There have been quarterback-to-receiver conversions in the NFL before and Mellott might be the next in line,” he observed.
“He’s been a winner and an extremely productive dual-threat quarterback, but he doesn’t have the size or arm talent needed to continue at that position in the NFL. He’s shifty and fast, which could foreshadow a successful transition if he can prove himself as a route-runner and pass-catcher. Mellott’s impressive pro-day numbers and competitiveness could earn him an opportunity from a team looking for a player who could follow in the footsteps of Julian Edelman, who made the same position transition 16 years ago.”
Mellott, who calls himself a big Edelman fan, spent five seasons at Montana State, airing it out downfield and making defenses pay with his rushing ability, just like Edelman did at Kent State back in the day. The guy recorded the best season of his career in 2024, piling up 2,783 yards, 31 touchdowns, and over 1,000 rushing yards. But the way things have unfolded, Tom Brady and the Raiders will now use him as a pass catcher rather than the one delivering the throws.
And their offseason moves back that up. Vegas picked Miller two picks after drafting Mellott, adding a layer on their decision to use Mellott as a wideout. The writing is on the wall: the former Montana State quarterback is all set to change position in his rookie season. “My entire career at quarterback has been a do-it-all individual as well,” the rookie said. “I played special teams the entire first year, I played wide receiver, I played wildcat quarterback, I really did it all… I’m excited to give everything I’ve got and go help the Raiders.”
It’s a gamble, no doubt. But it’s the script we’ve seen before, and Tom Brady witnessed it right from the center. Now that he’s the part-owner of the Raiders, expect Mellott to become a successful QB-turned-receiver. Meanwhile, it’s not the only quarterback move from the Raiders.
Tom Brady and the Raiders parted ways with their QB
The Raiders are one of the few teams having a crowded quarterback room ahead of the training camp. While Geno Smith is confirmed to lead the offense and Aidan O’Connell to back him up, you could sense a little pre-training camp roster trimming was at the table. Turns out, the Raiders waived off their second-year quarterback, Carter Bradley, just less than a week before the training camp kicks off.
We have waived QB Carter Bradley. pic.twitter.com/xyAKDJkEAu
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) July 14, 2025
Carter, who is the son of the former Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley, spent six seasons quarterbacking for the Toledo Rockets and South Alabama Jaguars before going undrafted in 2024. The QB showed up in 46 games during his collegiate career and recorded 8,372 yards, 61 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions at a completion rate of 62.9.
The Raiders signed him as an undrafted free agent, where he spent most of the season on the practice squad. He eventually made it to the active roster, but didn’t appear in any regular-season games. That said, Bradley will now seek another home given that the training camp and the preseason are right at the doorstep. Taken all together, the Raiders’ quarterback room seems sorted at this moment. Besides Smith and O’Connell, Cam Miller is now the third-string quarterback with Tommy Mellot switching his position to a receiver.
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