The Oakland Raiders may be looking to make a change at the quarterback position this offseason and recent mock drafts have the team taking one in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft.
TheOakland Raidersmay be playing out the final games of the 2019 season, but while fans lament what could have been, the front office will undoubtedly have one eye on the future.
And that future will be in a new stadium in a new city with a newly-constructed roster. Amidst all the turmoil these last few weeks, no player’s future remains more uncertain than quarterbackDerek Carr.
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Carr’s time with the Raiders appears to be nearing closer and closer to its end and these last two games might be his only chance to prove his worth.
Rumors have swirled for over a year now that head coach Jon Gruden isn’t sold on Carr as the quarterback to lead this franchise into Las Vegas and many have speculated that the team might look to move on from Carr and his massive salary in the offseason.
If that’s the case, expect the Raiders to look to the draft for his potential replacement.
Recent mock drafts have followed up these rumors and speculation by projecting that the Raiders will indeed take a quarterback. And while the roster undoubtedly has more pressing needs, quarterback always trumps everything.
The Raiders still need to upgrade their linebacker core and wide receiver unit, but if an organization feels that they need a quarterback, that will always be their top priority.
Two mock drafts, both from CBS Sports in the past two weeks, have had the Raiders selecting a quarterback with one of their two first-round picks.
A mock from Chris Trapassohas the Raiders selecting Utah State quarterbackJordan Lovewith their original first-round pick.
Love is a controversial prospect who put up less-than-stellar numbers while playing in the lowly Mountain West Conference but has the physical tools and traits to be very special someday.
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That said, he will undoubtedly need a ton of work before he’s fit to be a reliable starter and could benefit from sitting behind a veteran for a year or two. In this case, perhaps the Raiders could keep Carr and have the two compete for the job.
Drafting Love would absolutely be a risk, but it’s one that Gruden and general managerMike Mayockmay be willing to take.
Another mock from Josh Edwardshad the Raiders taking Clemson wide receiverTee Higginswith their own first-round pick, but using their second pick — acquired from the Chicago Bears in theKhalil Macktrade — on Oregon quarterbackJustin Herbert.
Herbert is a bit more polished than Love but some scouts have concerns about his mental makeup and ball security. Much like Love, he has sky-high potential but will need plenty of work to get there.
Outside of those two, the top quarterback in the class remains LSU signal-callerJoe Burrowbut he’s certain to be out of reach for the Raiders.Tua Tagovailoarepresents an intriguing option but he comes with the obvious injury concerns and also might be out of range.
Others such as Washington’sJacob Eason, Oklahoma’sJalen Hurts, and Georgia’sJake Frommhave also been mocked as high as the first round but none of the three are locks to go on Day 1.
It should be an interesting offseason for a Raiders franchise that has certainly seen better days.
But longtime fans will be hoping that those better days are coming in the near future, even if they won’t be in the Bay Area.
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