Darron Cummings/Associated Press
The Oakland Raiders reportedly have interest in Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins entering the first round of the 2019 NFL draft Thursday.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Raiders moved Haskins up their draft board this week after he impressed them in a workout. Rapoport added that Oakland could consider taking Haskins fourth overall.
The Raiders also own the 24th and 27th picks and could move up if Haskins slides.
If the Raiders take Haskins despite having Derek Carr, it would likely be a choice general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden make by themselves.
Per Rapoport, Mayock and Gruden sent their entire scouting staff home last week because “they don’t know who to trust and wanted to clear the room.”
Stephen Holder of The Athletic added:
Stephen Holder @HolderStephen
More context: Some of those guys will be joining other teams in the next few weeks after their contracts expire, so Mayock/Gruden aren’t totally insane. There’s some reason to actually be paranoid. But this still seems to be a little much.
Oakland has major needs defensively, especially along the defensive line. After trading pass-rusher Khalil Mack to the the Chicago Bears last year, the Raiders could opt to replace him with someone like Joey Bosa or Josh Allen, or perhaps take a defensive tackle in Quinnen Williams at No. 4, depending on who is available.
The Raiders were last in the NFL in sacks last season by a wide margin with just 13, and they were 30th against the run, allowing 140.6 rushing yards per game.
Meanwhile, Carr had a fairly productive season for a Raiders team that went just 4-12. He set career marks by completing 68.9 percent of his passes for 4,049 yards, and he also finished with 19 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.
The Raiders traded for wide receiver Antonio Brown and signed wideout Tyrell Williams this offseason. Also, with one of their later first-round picks, Oakland could target a running back like Alabama’s Josh Jacobs to give Carr more support in the running game.
If Oakland does take Haskins fourth overall, it seems likely the Raiders will allow him to sit and learn behind Carr rather than trade the veteran right away since he signed a five-year, $125 million deal in 2017 and is under contract through 2022.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller predicted in his final mock draft that the Raiders would take Williams fourth overall, with Haskins falling to the Washington Redskins at No. 15, making him the third quarterback off the board behind Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray and Duke’s Daniel Jones.
The Raiders have a chance to turn the franchise around in this year’s draft ahead of their anticipated move to Las Vegas in 2020, and taking Haskins would almost certainly suggest that Mayock and Gruden are unconvinced in Carr’s ability to lead the team long term.
from Viral News Updates http://bit.ly/2IHkgFq
0 Comments