The Raiders have done extensive work on all the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). As RapSheet notes, this has been par for the course for the Raiders in recent years. However, if one of this year’s top passers slides past the top part of the order, Jon Gruden & Co. could be poised to make a move. 
Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are guaranteed to be long gone, and it’s expected that Mac Jones will follow them at No. 3 overall. Beyond that, there’s at least some chance of this year’s top-rated QBs sliding. Some expect the Falcons to select North Dakoka’s Trey Lance at No. 4 and it’s widely anticipated that Ohio State’s Justin Fields will hear his name called in the top ten. Still, draft day is always full of surprises, and the Raiders’ board of first-round worthy QBs could be longer than others in the NFL.
Barring a QB slide, the Raiders could use the No. 17 choice to give Gus Bradley a top-end linebacker like Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Then again, they could focus on other areas of need — like the offensive line — now that they have edge threat Yannick Ngakoue on board. It’s a situation we’ll be monitoring on Thursday night, along with Derek Carr.
on brand
Thought of as a QB whispers. Isn’t.
*whisperer
Guaranteed smoke screen, best guess is linebacker or ot if still available
If we draft a QB I will be furious, we have bigger needs on defense and O-Line…I would like to see a LB or CB taken
Same. They need defense. You cannot win playoff games without at least an average defense.
Me too.
We have Carr at what $25 mill a year?
Plus a good QB backup.
Draft a replacement for Khalil Mack or Amari Cooper please.
Drafting any QB in the first round should cost every front office member their jobs, along with Gruden.
Would totally be the raider move though.
Average of about $21 million over each of the next two years. Cheap. And he’d be a hot trade commodity if this happened. I could see Chicago and Washington running to the phone.
Except Fields or Vance since they have the upside and mobility required to move into another level of offense.
Derek Carr is the most under appreciated player in the league. And it’s a good bet that the most under appreciated player at any given time would play fur Jon Gruden. His ego is too big to work in player personnel discussions. He has proved it over and over. Great coach. Terrible player evaluator. He is a control freak. He took Rich McKay and Tony Dungy’s team and added some excellent coaching and won a super bowl. Then he destroyed the roster. Now he is trying to fix a problem that doesn’t exist and ignoring actual real life problems on his roster. He needs to let Mike Mayock build the roster and just focus on coaching. But we all know that will never happen.
I’d argue Gruden isn’t even a good coach. When you look at the history, his teams get worse as the year goes on. He’s so overrated. I cannot wait until he’s fired or goes back to television.
Don’t disagree with anything else you said, though.
I think what he said is fair. Gruden usually makes some improvement, has good offense when you look at the tape, and definitely motivates his guys in a unique way. Then, as he makes progress, he decides that guys just don’t fit for some reason, cans them, and replaces them with guys he likes and the team gets worse. I think it’s a fair assessment of Gruden as a coach.
How may guys has he really maximized though outside of Carr? And the irony is, reportedly, they’re always looking to upgrade from Carr- who is a quality QB. The defense routinely underperforms under Gruden. The WR core has been a mess. I just don’t see what people see in him. He’s probably likeable for players, I’ll give you. I just don’t see him as a great maximizer of talent the way a good coach should be.
We don’t need a QB!!!!
O-line with the second round pick
Hopefully corner with the first rounder
A-Rod and the Pack look lime they’re headed for an ugly divorce. I could see A-Rod winding up in Las Vegas.
Like they’re
That Trey Lance is some Quarterback, I tell ya what. If I could get 11 guys like that, man we’d be unstoppable.
Smoke screen. It’s all about defense in this years draft.
Completely agree! Also sprinkle in a couple O-linemen
‘The Raiders have done extensive work on all the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). As RapSheet notes, this has been par for the course for the Raiders in recent years’
All teams should do extensive work each year on QB’s. A Reid is famous for flipping 4-6th rounders for better picks.
The internet know it alls have become unbearable. Though I have to admit. Gruden has asked for it. I suppose with his 100 M he doesn’t care. He is solely motivated by his legacy at this point.
John Gruden 2010 NFL Draft on Jimmy Clausen – “Its a crazy league. A lot of dumbass picks.”
Bout to put that into action for the Raiders.
Oh my God, they scouted available players? Surely this means something.