Getty Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
As the NFL Draft gets closer and closer, it seems most likely that the Las Vegas Raiders draft either a cornerback or wide receiver with their first first-round pick. While that seems like the most logical play for the team, some still suggest the Raiders are going to try and get a quarterback early. If the team stays put at 12 and doesn’t trade up, the only real contender who will probably still be available is Jordan Love out of Utah State.
There are a lot of question marks surrounding Love, and he’d need time to sit and develop. If Jon Gruden and company want to shake things up, they could look to make a trade. In a series of bold predictions by Bleacher Report, Gary Davenport predicted the Raiders to trade up to draft former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and send Derek Carr to a new team:
For much of draft season, it was a foregone conclusion that the Miami Dolphins were going to draft Tagovailoa, whether it was at No. 5 overall or by trading up. But the Raiders are going to blow that plan to smithereens by leap-frogging Miami to grab the Alabama quarterback. Then, before Mel Kiper’s hair has even stopped not moving at all—ever—the Raiders are going to stun fans and pundits again by trading Derek Carr to the New England Patriots.
Talk about a bold prediction. The Raiders could significantly change the AFC with this move. Not only do they’d get a dynamic quarterback who could end up being the best in the entire draft, but they’d also help the Patriots by giving them a proven starter in Carr.
Raiders Could Go QB, Says Insider
While a trade into the top-five may be a stretch, but it’s not impossible the Raiders try and land a quarterback with the 12th pick. In Mike Freeman’s mock draft for Bleacher Report, he predicted Las Vegas to take wide receiver Jerry Jeudy at 12 but revealed that he is hearing quarterback is a possibility:
The Raiders need a lot more offensive firepower. Note that some team officials think the Raiders go quarterback here despite Oakland, er, Las Vegas, adding Marcus Mariota.
Gruden and Mike Mayock could be interested in taking a quarterback, but the team has much bigger needs. It seems unlikely they use their first pick in the draft on a player who may not even play in 2020.
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There’s No Way Raiders Will Trade up to Top 5
It’s fun to make bold predictions, but there’s no way the Raiders are about to give up what it takes to get a top-five pick. It would take at least both first-round picks and probably one or two of their thirds. Mayock loves having a lot of draft picks and he’s not going to give them all up for a player who has serious injury concerns.
Also, Gruden fancies himself a quarterback expert, but he’s never taken a quarterback in the first round of any of the drafts he’s led. It would be one thing if the Raiders didn’t have a capable starter. Carr is not a bad quarterback by any stretch of the imagination. He can lead the team to the playoffs this season if they give him a number one wide receiver. Las Vegas knows this and they’re not about to give up that chance by taking a massive risk.
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