Getty Pittsburgh Panthers QB Kenny Pickett.
Over the last few years, the Las Vegas Raiders have been rumored to be interested in making a change at quarterback. None of those rumors have come to fruition and Derek Carr continues to prove that he deserves the job going forward. However, that’s not going to stop general manager Mike Mayock from doing his due diligence.
The crop of quarterbacks entering the NFL Draft hasn’t been overly impressive so far but there are some talented options. According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Mayock is among the NFL general managers heading to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to watch the matchup between Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett and University of North Carolina’s Sam Howell.
Pitt QB Kenny Pickett & UNC QB Sam Howell will draw plenty of in-person eyes tonight. Some 30+ scouts are credentialed for game, including at least five GMs: Kevin Colbert (Steelers), Mike Mayock, George Paton (Broncos), Howie Roseman (Eagles) and Rick Spielman (Vikings). #ESPN
This isn’t the first time that since taking over as the Raiders general manager that Mayock has done extensive scouting of a quarterback prospect. Just last year, he heavily scouted current San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance. There’s no reason to believe Las Vegas will be in the market for a quarterback right now but it’s notable that Mayock continues to scout them despite Carr’s improved play.
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Where Pickett & Howell Are Rated Among QB Prospects
GettyUNC QB Sam Howell.
It’s still very early in the process for teams looking at quarterbacks but the college football season is getting closer to its conclusion so there are prospects starting to pull away from the pack. Pickett and Howell are expected to be among the quarterbacks drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft but it remains to be seen where exactly they’ll be selected.
Longtime NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has Pickett as the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the entire 2022 class. He has Howell ranked at No. 5. Those rankings are likely to move around quite a bit between now and the draft but thoughts on both of them are high. Mayock will be getting a front-row seat to see which prospect is better. That said, it shouldn’t really matter much to him in the long run.
Carr Has Proven He Deserves Extension
There’s nothing wrong with Mayock scouting possible future NFL quarterbacks. It’s never a bad thing to gather information on as many players as possible. However, it’s unlikely that anything will come from it. As noted earlier, this isn’t the first time that Mayock has scouted quarterbacks since becoming the Raiders general manager.
Carr has done more than enough to prove that he should be the quarterback going forward. Not only has his play on the field been strong, but he’s also developed into an excellent leader for a team that has had serious off-the-field issues all season. He’s got one more year left on his contract after this season so the Raiders should be thinking about an extension soon. Carr has made it clear that he doesn’t intend to play for another team during his career. That won’t help him in negotiations so it’s unlikely the Raiders will have to give him a record-breaking deal. Regardless, the two sides should come to some sort of extension this offseason.
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