Las Vegas Raiders rumors: Jalen Hurts in play as first-round pick

The Las Vegas Raiders have Derek Carr for now but trading down and taking Jalen Hurts late in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft is reportedly in play.

While head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock have largely been non-commital about Derek Carr as the franchise quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders while the team completes their move to Sin City, rumors about the team selecting a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft continue to grow. The name in question, however, may surprise some people: Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the status of the 2020 NFL Draft itself in Las Vegas is up in the air as the league could take some measures for the event from April 23-25. However, teams plans are starting to take shape nonetheless and, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Raiders could be interested in Utah State’s Jordan Love if he falls to their second first-round pick at No. 19. But if he isn’t there, the team is high on Hurts and could trade down to the end of Round 1 to take him.

It’s not difficult to see why Gruden and Mayock would be enamored with Hurts given everything we’ve heard about the former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback. He’s a born leader and competitor with the utmost character on and off the field, which is something the Raiders decision-makers value highly.

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Beyond that, however, Hurts has shown tremendous improvement as a player over his college career. While his athleticism was never in question as he largely operated as a running quarterback under Nick Saban, he took great strides as an accurate and efficient passer with Lincoln Riley for the Sooners.

Here’s what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had to say in his overview of Hurts as a prospect:

"Hurts is a more accurate passer and better runner than Tebow but is inconsistent as a decision-maker and tends to break the pocket when throws are there to be made. His deep-ball touch and intermediate accuracy improved this year so teams may see him as a developmental talent who will keep getting better in the right scheme. He’ll struggle to beat NFL defenses from the pocket, but his ability to grind out yards on the ground and make off-schedule plays should make him a solid backup with upward mobility."

While he is certainly not ready to be a Day 1 starter, it’s clear that he has positive development ahead of him. Plus, as Lamar Jackson showed in the 2019 season with Baltimore, a team building their offense around a unique talent at quarterback can succeed at a high level. The Raiders could be looking to do something similar with Hurts.

At the same time, taking a developmental prospect in the first round, even if they trade down from No. 19 may not inspire many Raiders fans. But it’s also the right decision. If Las Vegas believes in Hurts but needs him to develop behind Carr for a year, taking him in Round 1 gives the Raiders that valuable fifth-year option on his rookie contract that could be crucial to Hurts’ development.

Furthermore, trading down from No. 19 could be huge for the Raiders as, though they have two first-round and three third-round picks, they do not own a second-round selection. If they could look to move back with a linebacker-needy team like the Ravens or Packers trying to land prospects like Kenneth Murray or Patrick Queen, they could potentially milk an extra top-64 selection out of such a deal, which would be crucial for the Raiders continuing to build their roster.

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A little over a month before the NFL Draft is undoubtedly smokescreen season. However, as it pertains to Jalen Hurts and the Las Vegas Raiders, there are too many points where the fit makes sense, as does the process to trade down to select him. So while it might seem a bit out there, it’s not something that anyone should be ruling out.

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