Pro Football Focus recently did a “re-draft” of the 2014 class, which would see the Las Vegas Raiders pairing a Fresno State duo.
In the past, Derek Carr and Davante Adams were a formidable collegiate duo. Numbers-wise, the former Raiders signal-caller and wide receiver connected for 38 touchdowns in 26 career games. Adams finished his college run with 3,031 receiving yards, with all of those scores thrown to him by No. 4.
Wouldn’t it have been incredible to see the pair continue their success at the professional level? Funny you say that, because PFF recently presented that scenario in a re-examination of the 2014 NFL draft.
What if the Raiders had drafted Davante Adams over Khalil Mack?
In case you forgot, the Raiders, then led by general manager Reggie McKenzie, shocked folks when they drafted Buffalo’s Khalil Mack with the fifth overall pick. The “small school stigma” associated with their prospects contributed significantly to the shock. Nevertheless, the selection was a brilliant move. Mack was a three-time Pro Bowler and twice an All-Pro for the Raiders before getting unceremoniously shipped off to Chicago.
Would the Raiders make the same choice again, even with Mack’s trade?
As successful as Adams became in Green Bay, it wasn’t a smooth start. He didn’t record a 1,000-plus receiving yard season until his fifth year in the NFL. Meanwhile, Mack instantly shaped the Raiders defense in his image as a vaunted pass rusher. Then again, the Silver and Black selected Adams’s college quarterback in the second round. Carr made an immediate impact as a rookie starting quarterback, and the team didn’t look back for nearly a decade.
It’s impossible to predict how Adams would have progressed under the Raiders. Carr, for all his defects, didn’t have the most stable organization behind him. Having his college teammate surely would’ve helped Carr but we all know how the decade after the 2014 draft played out.
What are your thoughts, Raider Nation? In hindsight, would you have preferred Adams over Mack?
*Top Photo: Associated Press