Oakland Raiders: 3 Surprise options for the No. 4 overall pick
QB Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State
This would leave many astonished. General manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden have vocally supported Derek Carr when asked about the starting quarterback situation. However, if they planned to move on from him, it’s unwise to admit it to the media — that would affect the signal-caller’s trade value.
In a surprising turn of events, it’s possible Oakland could take a quarterback if Haskins absolutely impressed Gruden and Mayock during his private workout. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Ohio State product may have left a lasting impression on the Raiders shot-callers:
Wrote this Friday on draft QBs: "There is definitely some smoke involved ... But Mayock will be sweating a little if Haskins is on the board at No. 4. There is no logical reason to take him when you are paying Carr $20 million next season, but Gruden really loves him." #Raiders
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) April 11, 2019
On the surface, the Raiders did their due diligence, but we can’t discount a prospect opening their eyes to another scenario—that’s part of evaluating talent. Mayock made it clear the team would leave no stones unturned at the position, per San Francisco Chronicle‘s Matt Kawahara.
"But we love Derek. We love what he brings to the table. But like every other position, we’re going to do all of our due diligence. And I happen to work with a head coach that absolutely loves the position. And we’re always going to know about those guys."
While it seems impulsive to pull the plug on Carr after one year in Gruden’s system, the Silver and Black’s surprise may involve in-house pressure on the incumbent starter.
The dynamic in the quarterback room would probably take an awkward turn, but Gruden is a head coach who welcomes competition across the roster. The Raiders would have options at the most important position in the game. Perhaps the selection prompts new beginnings elsewhere for Carr or precedes one season with both signal-callers in tow.
It would become hard to trust future public votes of confidence in a player on the roster after the outpouring offseason support for Carr as the franchise signal-caller, but it’s a business. Mayock and Gruden will do what they feel helps this organization for the long term — decisions that may ruffle some feathers.