Pro Football Focus recently projected the Las Vegas Raiders will take a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. This would be a mistake because signal-caller is not a weakness nor a position of need. On the other hand, they need more pass rush.
Fans love mock drafts as they can start to read up on what their favorite team will need for the future. For the Raiders, Michael Renner of PFF believes head coach Jon Gruden will need a new signal-caller. This will be particularly true if the Silver and Black misses out on another playoff spot this season.
As of right now, Gruden’s team sits at 2-1 and one of the biggest reasons for this is Carr. After going through an offseason filled with rumors, including talks about Tom Brady replacing him, the Raiders quarterback holds an impressive stat sheet. If the Raiders miss the playoffs, it won’t because of Carr or his play. Instead, one of the main contributors as it stands right now would be the lack of a pass rush. After much hype surrounding new defensive line coach Rod Marinelli and hope for last year’s rookies, Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell, it’s not looking good. Crosby did finally notch two sacks last week, other than that, there’s not much to smile about.
Related: Raiders Defense Sorely Needs LB Nick Kwiatkoski Sooner Than Later
Raiders Should Look at EDGE Kwity Paye, not QB Kyle Trask…
Despite Renner’s projection for quarterback Kyle Trask, we will have to respectfully disagree. Carr is not the problem this year, in fact, he hasn’t been the issue. Under Gruden, he’s steadily improved every single year and now he has real weapons around. In particular, he has two rising stars with tight end Darren Waller and running back Josh Jacobs. The Raiders also possess a young wide receiver corps. Other than Crosby’s production, the Raiders only have two other players with half a sack. Maybe EDGE Kwity Paye from Michigan would be a better pick with the Raiders’ projected 15th pick.
The Draft Network summed it best when it comes to Paye, “He’s a power rusher in the pass game and relied on his short-area explosiveness to generate power and collapse angles to create soft edges.” Rest assured that the Raiders are probably more concerned with their inability to get to the quarterback than drafting one next year at this point in 2020.
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*Top Photo: Roger Hart/Michigan Photography