Ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft, there were a trio of players the Las Vegas Raiders were shopping, with Derek Carr leading the bunch. The first day of the draft came and went and the quarterback wasn’t moved. Today, we will at last find how much the front office values him.
The Raiders have been very hermetic when it comes to their quarterback position and how much they value Carr. Even though they have praised him and said they feel comfortable with him, they have also said that if they can improve the position they will. Moreover, they were aggressively shopping him as recently as this past NFL Scouting Combine. That is certainly not an endorsement nor a sign of confidence.
Expect The Unexpected…
If the draft has proven something is that we have to expect the unexpected but other than the Raiders selecting cornerback David Arnette, the Silver and Black didn’t provide anything out of the ordinary. If anything, Arnette was the kind of pick everyone should expect from general manager Mike Mayock, not sexy but solid.
Related: Raiders GM Mike Mayock emphasizes the importance of later rounds
Regarding Carr, there were not any news, but that could change in day two of the draft. The Colts could trade the 34th or the 44th selection, one but not both, for him or a bidder could come out of nowhere and woo the Raiders with an offer they can’t refuse. The Jaguars, who were trying to deal defensive end Yannick Ngakoue with them just yesterday, could be looking forward to improving a quarterback room that features currently Gardner Minshew and not much behind him.
Derek Carr: The Escape Goat?
Carr hasn’t been the sole reason why the Raiders haven’t been able to reach the playoffs since 2016. Whether it was their defensive line or the lack of a true number one wide receiver, the quarterback hasn’t had an adequate surrounding cast. At the same time, he has been inconsistent at times, which surely played a factor in him being part of trade talks.
Secretive and Deceiving
Head coach Jon Gruden is very secretive and deceiving when it comes to transactions the Raiders make. He said Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper were key members of the team before he sent them packing to Chicago and Dallas respectively. The same is happening with Carr. At this point, we don’t really know how he truly feels about Carr.
That should end soon as we are hours away from knowing if Carr was part of the team’s plans all along. Either way, Gruden and Mayock will do what is in the best interest of the franchise moving forward and if carr is included, so be it.
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