Since 2014, his rookie year in the NFL, Derek Carr has been the starting quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders. During his tenure, the Raiders have had just one winning season, dating back to the 2016 season. With a 2-2 start to the season, and a tough handful of games ahead, one has to look forward to the NFL Draft. In doing so, we raise the question – could the Las Vegas Raiders be in the market for a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft?
To date, Derek Carr has a 41-57 record as the starting quarterback of the Raiders franchise. Throughout that time, Las Vegas made the playoffs only once, in 2016, which has also been their only winning season under Carr. If you take away the 2016 season, Carr then has a record of 29-54, which is less than stellar.
Potential Raiders 2021 NFL Draft Quarterback Targets
Should the Raiders be, in fact, in the quarterback market in the 2021 NFL Draft, they have several options. If the season were to end today, the Raiders would be picking 16th in the NFL Draft. If they want to draft a quarterback in the first round, Kyle Trask or Trey Lance would be obvious choices. This season, Kyle Trask has been phenomenal for the University of Florida. Similar to Joe Burrow, Trask has had an explosive season that has skyrocketed him up draft boards. If he’s there when the Raiders are drafting, he’d be a solid choice.
On the other hand, Trey Lance is an intriguing 2021 NFL Draft Quarterback prospect for the Raiders as well. This season, the North Dakota State quarterback only had one game, against Central Arkansas, which was attended by dozens of NFL scouts. As a dual-threat quarterback, Trey Lance would completely change the Raiders’ offensive-style.
Outside of the first round, the Raiders still have multiple options. Most notably, Jamie Newman, Brock Purdy, and Tanner Morgan are all available mid-round quarterbacks. These three 2021 NFL Draft quarterbacks would all likely be projects for the Las Vegas Raiders. However, they all have a potential upside several seasons down the road.
Therefore, if Las Vegas opts to press the reset button, and look in the NFL Draft, they have several options that could all be key down the road.
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