Getty Oklahoma Sooner QB Kyler Murray
While the Oakland Raiders have a franchise quarterback in Derek Carr, it hasn’t cooled off the talks surrounding Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray. It’s been assumed for some time that head coach Jon Gruden may want to choose his own young quarterback to mold, but he’s remained committed to Carr this offseason.
And even with the chatter around Murray after Gruden offered him praise before the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, it seems he’s not the quarterback the Raiders like most. That title may go to former Ohio State Buckeyes standout Dwayne Haskins, as The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reported.
Obviously, as you can see he points out that it may not matter, which could point to the Raiders not being likely to spend a high pick on a quarterback. But there’s obviously a good chance both players will be on the board with Oakland makes their first selection at No. 4.
Raiders Meet With Dwayne Haskins, Kyler Murray
Meetings at the NFL Scouting Combine don’t mean a ton, as they can even be used as a way to throw off other teams, or simply to get a feel for players and cover all the bases. Regardless, Tafur also reported that the Raiders met with both Haskins and Murray on Wednesday night at the combine.
The team also met with Ole Miss Rebels wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, making him an interesting name to watch considering the Raiders have a need at wide receiver. After trading Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys, Gruden’s squad is thin at the position and could look to use one of their three first-round picks on the position.
Both Haskins and Murray are likely to be high picks, and The Draft Network’s Jon Ledyard has the former coming off the board at No. 7 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He also projects Murray heading to the Miami Dolphins at No. 13.
Jon Gruden Backs Derek Carr
Not surprisingly, Gruden back his current quarterback, which new general manager Mike Mayock did on Wednesday as well. During his media session, the Raiders coach was asked about Carr and strongly stated that he is “our franchise quarterback,” as Scott Bair of NBC Sports revealed.
Jon Gruden reiterated what Mayock said yesterday, that “Derek Carr is our franchise quarterback. Let me make that clear.”
While much was made about the Raiders’ disappointing 4-12 record in a year which looked like they were starting a rebuild, Carr’s numbers weren’t all bad. Although he tossed 10 interceptions and fumbled 11 times, the 27-year-old completed 68.9 percent of his passes with 4,049 yards, both of which are career-high marks. On the other hand, Carr also threw just 19 touchdowns, which come in as his lowest single-season total.
Even still, he’s expected to remain the team’s clear-cut starter, and it’d be a surprise if Gruden and company opted to make a big change by selecting a quarterback high in the draft.
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