Column: Drafting a quarterback early not sensible for Raiders

It was one of those tweets that causes a fan base to buzz like a swarm of hornets.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported last week that the Raiders had done extensive work on the draft’s top quarterbacks. He went on to post that general manager Mike Mayock had attended all the spring pro days of those elite prospects.

The crazy part is that anyone would go crazy about it.

For, like, Mayock doing his job.

The Raiders pick No. 17 when the draft commences Thursday night. While it’s no certainty which way they will lean — is there ever? — quarterback wouldn’t at all seem a sensible option.

Unless they’re not as enamored with Derek Carr as they have always suggested.

In that case, we’d have to run a front page picture of the draft pick in a Raiders helmet and Carr would see it and care enough to mention it during a Zoom interview, which he did after the R-J ran such a shot amid speculation last offseason that Tom Brady might be a Raider.

Countless other needs

The Raiders seem to have far too many other pressing needs to make such a move. After all, nobody wants to see new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley detonate into a heap of disgust should the team not quickly address his side of the ball.

Fact: Carr is entering his eighth season as the team’s starter. Since 2019, only Carr, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers have produced multiple seasons of 4,000-plus passing yards, 20-plus passing touchdowns and 10 or fewer interceptions.

Read that again. Carr isn’t the problem.

You might correctly argue, however, that extending his contract now would be an unwise exercise until the Raiders actually make a playoff run with him. Carr still has a team-friendly deal (a $22 million cap hit) given his production. The team should play things out. See where a fourth season under Gruden takes Carr and the Raiders.

Still, there is no denying how solid things are at quarterback when compared to a majority of NFL teams. The Raiders even have a backup in Marcus Mariota who has started 61 career games.

That’s not to say Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden shouldn’t have done all necessary draft research on the position. On every position. Drafts often deliver what on paper might appear incredibly bizarre moves. Crazy things happen over three days.

Gruden has yet to draft a quarterback since returning as head coach. Maybe he’s tired of whispering to just veterans.

There is also this potential option: Mariota’s trade value should be even higher during or after the draft, when teams begin to settle on how their quarterback rooms might appear come training camp.

Mariota reportedly has a no-trade clause in what is a restructured deal with the Raiders, but he has consistently said he again wants to be a starter. Teams might consider him a bridge to one of these top quarterbacks set to go early in the draft. The move would also help clear cap space for the Raiders.

In that scenario, there are some interesting names beyond the top quarterbacks. Kyle Trask of Florida. Jamie Newman of Georgia. Sam Ehlinger of Texas. Feleipe Franks of Arkansas. All are players in the projected third round and later that the Raiders could select and stash away as a future option.

Lots of favorites

It’s all a mystery. The Westgate posted odds on what player Las Vegas would choose first. None were quarterbacks, but there were eight co-favorites at 12-1. Eight.

Which pretty much means those running sports books have thrown up their hands like the rest of us in a,“Who the hell knows?” sort of attitude.

I will say those same odds listed likely Top 10 picks in quarterbacks Justin Fields and Trey Lance as 30-1 long shots to somehow join the Raiders.

I’m not suggesting you bet the mortgage on either, but we are talking Gruden and Mayock.

So, a small wager then?

Ed Graney is a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing and can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.