The Raiders picked up their QB of the future on day 2 of the NFL draft, when Derek Carr – a player that many believed was first round quality – fell to the Raiders at the 36th overall pick. Carr, whose brother David was the first player ever taken by the expansion Texans in 2002, was an extremely productive quarterback at Fresno State, throwing for 5,083 yards in 2013 in only 13 games.
Carr stands 6’2” and weighed in at 214 lbs. He has adequate although not elite size. He has a very strong arm and many pro scouts have said that he is the best pure thrower in the draft.
Carr isn’t RG3 or Johnny Manziel but he’s deceptively athletic and is able to extend plays with his feet.
Most importantly, Carr was extremely accurate in college. His senior year, he completed just shy of 69% of his passes, an amazingly high percentage.
Carr is also a very devoted student of the game and has great work ethic and leadership. Joe Montana, Kurt Warner and even former Raider Rich Gannon have sung his praises, saying he is a natural leader and has all of the skills needed to succeed in the NFL – both physically and mentally.
Carr, himself, acknowledges that he may not have the elite size but is willing to put in the necessary work. At the Combine, Carr said, “I’m not 6-6 and won’t run 4.3, but I’ll out-prepare anybody.”
On a conference call with local beat writers, Carr said that Oakland had made it clear how they felt about him and that he’d just had to wait an extra day to be drafted by Oakland but that he was thrilled to be in Oakland, so close to his college campus.
Carr didn’t say that he had been promised any opportunity to compete for the starting spot in camp and it’s likely that he won’t be given that chance. When the Raiders traded for Matt Schaub, they did so with the intention that Schaub would be their starter for at least 2014 and possibly beyond, if his play merited it.
Instead, Carr is being brought in, now, because Reggie is a firm believer in developing talent and no position is more important than the quarterback position. Like Green Bay did when they drafted Aaron Rodgers to learn and develop behind an aging Brett Favre.
If the plan goes well, the Raiders will get a hard worker and talented quarterback in Carr, who can take over the team in 1-3 years, when he’s had a chance to adapt to the speed of the NFL and all of the various routes and defenses that he’ll see in the league.
I love this pick because the main way to get a true franchise quarterback is to draft one – franchise level quarterbacks rarely hit an open market or trade because of their value.
Carr may not ever develop into that franchise quarterback – I’m not saying he’s a lock by any means.
But the surest way to get a young, talented quarterback? Draft one. And if you don’t have one, draft one every year until you do. That’s how important a franchise quarterback is to success. The Raiders made the right move by pulling the trigger on Carr, who was the highest rated quarterback on their draft board.
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