Oakland Raiders: Quarterback smoke screen to land Quinnen Williams?

The Oakland Raiders caused a stir when team brass scheduled private workouts for Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins. Should we consider an ulterior motive?

While we break down the Oakland Raiders‘ decision to work out Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins on a basic level, general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden may have a silver and black chessboard at the headquarters, using a clever strategy to land their ideal prospect with the fourth overall pick.

If you’ve followed Gruden’s coaching career, it’s clear he enjoys evaluating quarterbacks—look no further than his QB camp. However, the Raiders’ willingness to take a closer look at two of the top incoming signal-callers possibly goes beyond innocent curiosity. Gruden and Mayock may have a plan.

According to Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, the Raiders have their eyes on a prospect, and it’s not a quarterback.

"Just last week, a highly connected personnel executive hinted the Raiders could still select White at No. 4 overall, but that Williams was the more coveted of the two. That’s where the smart money is right now.So why are the Raiders working out quarterbacks? It’s obvious. They’re hoping someone trades up to No. 3 overall to select a quarterback, which will push Quinnen Williams to them."

There’s widespread speculation the Arizona Cardinals will select Kyler Murray, and Miller also notes a scout told him Nick Bosa would likely go to the San Francisco 49ers. In that scenario, only the New York Jets stand between the Raiders and Williams.

Here’s where the chess move, or smoke screen, comes into consideration.

Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan said he’s open to trading down from the third spot, per New York Post‘s Brian Costello.

"We’re very open to potentially moving back from three. I wouldn’t envision us moving up in the draft. I think you can rule that one out. If we end up staying at three and taking a player, we think there are some very good players at three. But we’d definitely be interested if another team came with an offer that we felt was worthy of moving out of the spot."

If the Raiders give off the impression they’re legitimately interested in Murray and Haskins, a team that’s genuinely targeting either signal-caller would strongly consider moving up to the No. 3 spot, ahead of Oakland, to take a quarterback. It’s feasible since Maccagnan is open to a trade-down scenario.

The Jets may choose edge-rusher Josh Allen, who addresses their pass-rushing needs on the edge, but it’s not a guarantee. It seems the Raiders have Williams listed higher than Allen if Miller’s sources are accurate. LSU linebacker Devin White is a wild-card option if the Cardinals, 49ers or Gang Green choose the Alabama prospect.

In a quarterback-driven league, the Raiders added a few logs to the fire—one that burns for quarterbacks in the NFL. If the New York Giants, Miami Dolphins or Washington Redskins view Haskins as a franchise signal-caller for the next decade, their front-office executives will pick up the phone with offers to the Cardinals, 49ers, Jets and even the Raiders.

Outsiders may think Derek Carr stands on shaky ground as Gruden speed dates other quarterbacks, when in fact, he may be using them to increase his chances at landing a 6-3, 303-pound interior pass-rusher out of Alabama. If a trade materializes, Chessmaster Chucky could move in for the checkmate April 25.