The Las Vegas Raiders should use a late-round pick on a quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft. Quarterback Derek Carr always seems to fall short regardless of how hard he tries. However, he is definitely serviceable and still under contract until 2022. For that reason, it makes sense to take a late-round quarterback and give him time to develop behind ‘4’.
Here are three quarterbacks the Raiders can target late in the draft
1. Zac Thomas is getting plenty of hype ahead of the draft
Appalachian State quarterback Zach Thomas was one of the winningest quarterbacks in Division I history. After declaring for the NFL Draft, he was invited to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, the Tropical Bowl, and the East-West Shrine Game. In the Tropical Bowl, the Alabama native threw one touchdown pass and unofficially had 170 yards of total offense (with 8.4 yards per carrying). Also, he was the National Team’s Offensive MVP in Sunday’s Tropical Bowl.
What a great experience. Thank you @TropicalBowlUSA for everything. My boy @sherm_ftc balled as always. Blessed to be named offensive MVP. pic.twitter.com/5yV7kouDW6
— Zac Thomas (@Zac_Thomas12) January 17, 2021
In his three-year tenure at Appalachian State, Thomas played 40 games, completed 63 percent of his passes, threw for 6979 yards, 69 touchdowns, and just 23 interceptions for a total QBR of 147.0. The quarterback passed over two thousand yards every year he started. Thomas is a dual-threat option too, adding another level of capabilities. On 294 total attempts, he rushed for 1301 yards for 19 touchdowns, including ten during his sophomore season.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound quarterback should be a very viable option in Day 3 of 2021’s draft. he comes with very low risk and a high ceiling. An underrated trait about Thomas is that he is a quiet guy who lets his hustle do the talking.
When to take him? Round 7
Related: Raiders must consider drafting Alex Leatherwood with 17th overall pick
2. Brady White put Memphis back on the map
Next up is Brady White, a classic pocket passer with an arm out of Memphis. He played three years as the Tigers starting quarterback.
White has a 62 percent completion rate, throwing for 10,949 yards for 92 touchdowns to 31 interceptions for a total QBR of 152.5. In 2019, he cracked the 4,000-yard mark in the air and passed for over 3,000 in his other two years.
Let’s Rock and Roll 😈🎸
( vc: @amanialderson ) pic.twitter.com/95TkUDiZRZ
— Brady White (@BradyWhite223) June 14, 2020
The Tigers signal-caller lights it up any chance that he gets. He really put Memphis back on the map after transferring from Arizona State when the Memphis quarterback, Paxton Lynch, went to the draft.
White has a lot of similarities to Carr, in both his mentality and playing style, so the transition would be pretty easy. He is probably the most likely to come to Las Vegas in this year’s draft.
When to draft him? Round 6-7
3. Last, but not least, Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book could thrive with the Raiders
The Notre Dame quarterback tends to always go over controversial and with good reason. There’s no doubt that the talent is there for Book with his 64 percent completion rate, 8,948 passing yards, and 72 touchdowns to 20 interceptions over four seasons, three as a starter.
The Raiders are known for taking a bit of a lost or troubled player and giving them hope as they have in the past. Book may just be the right time, right place type of guy in Sin City.
The Fighting Irish quarterback is another good dual-threat player, on 361 attempts, he rushed for 1517 yards and 17 touchdowns with over 100 attempts in both his junior and senior seasons. Book should hear his name called the earliest of these quarterbacks simply due to him coming out of a top football school even though he could never get it done in the big show.
When to take him? Round 5-6
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