Getty Las Vegas Raiders GM Mike Mayock.
Well, it hasn’t taken long for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback rumors to pop up. Derek Carr has had a strong start to the 2020 season but that isn’t going to stop general manager Mike Mayock from keeping an eye on some of the top prospects. According to NFL Draft Diamonds, the Raiders sent two scouts to watch North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance on Saturday.
Today the Buffalo Bills had two scouts present to watch North Dakota State QB Trey Lance. They were not the only team with two scouts though. #BillsMafia
Lions, Raiders, Panthers, and Vikings all had two scouts apiece. The Bears were there as well as the Colts!
Lance may play at a small school but he’s one of the most hyped quarterback prospects this year. Should he choose to enter the draft next year, he’s very likely to get selected in the top-10. There are some really strong quarterback prospects in 2021.
Lance Is ‘Elite’ Physically
The most exciting thing about Lance is his arm talent and his ability as an athlete. The fact that he plays against mediocre competition is a red flag but there have been small school quarterbacks who have come into the NFL and have been elite. Pro Football Focus has him going number seven overall in next year’s draft:
Lance is as elite physically as any quarterback in recent memory. It’s hard to glean much from the tape he’s put out against FCS competition, though. He’ll get his one showcase game this weekend against Central Arkansas, but I don’t think it will really matter much — he’s going to be drafted highly no matter what.
Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields are the top prospects but if Lance has a big year, he could get a team really excited. The NFL is starting to favor big arm quarterbacks who can run and Lance is just that. He’s probably not as NFL-ready as Lawrence or Fields but he could have the biggest upside out of the three.
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There Are Multiple Reasons the Raiders Won’t Draft Lance
Now, that brings us to the Raiders. No matter how they feel about Derek Carr, the team is too good this year to get a top-10 pick. There’s no way Las Vegas finishes with less than seven wins in 2020 barring a complete collapse. If said collapse were to happen, a lot of eyes will be pointed at Carr.
So far this season, Carr has looked like he’s the franchise quarterback for the Raiders, especially when his wide receivers were healthy. Also, the team has a really good chance to make the playoffs. If Carr can lead them there, Jon Gruden and Mayock probably won’t even consider taking a quarterback.
Lance would be an exciting addition and probably has more upside than Carr. The Raiders play in a division with Patrick Mahomes so they wouldn’t mind getting a prospect with an enormous ceiling. However, Carr is a very capable quarterback that has proven he can run Gruden’s offense effectively. There will probably still be rumors peddled this offseason about how Gruden is never content at quarterback and how they’re going to draft one and then the Raiders will take a pass rusher or something, and the rumors will go away again.
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