Best Quarterback Available (Draft)
While Carr seems undoubtedly better than any other starting caliber quarterback on the free agent market, the 2019 draft class gets a little bit trickier. Of the current players who have declared for the draft, Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, Duke’s Daniel Jones and Missouri’s Drew Lock have all been looked at st first round talents.
Haskins is considered the best quarterback in this year’s class. Despite only having 22 games of starting experience, the Ohio State product has completed 70% of his passes for 5,396 yards and a 54/9 TD/INT ratio. He was named the 2018 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Recently he was praised by Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller for having, “pocket poise, accuracy outside the hashes and arm talent all over the field.”
In drafting Haskins the Raiders would get a brand new project to build around. He has made flashy plays and has shown plenty of arm strentgh to succeed. That being said, only having 22 games of experience can be tricky. Chicago Bears’ quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had just 13 games of experience prior to being drafted second overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. He has shown strides, but has been inconsistent during his time in Chicago. While Haskins may ultimately posses more potential than Carr, the Raiders would be taking a risk.
Jones was a late bloomer as a prospect, but is now firmly considered a first round talent. During his four years at Duke, Jones completed 59.9% of his passes for 8,201 yards and a 52/29 TD/INT ratio. Trevor Sikkema of the Draft Network praises Jones’ touch, deep ball accuracy and footwork.
Unlike Haskins, Jones enters the NFL Draft with an impressive 36 games of experience. That being said, he doesn’t hold nearly the same amount of intangibles that Haskins does. Jones should be one of the first few quarterbacks off of the board and has shown at times how explosive he could truly be. But like Haskins, he would be a risk for both the Raiders and Giants as Jones has yet to be superbly hyped up as first round quarterbacks normally are.
Lock is an interesting QB as some have him as the number two passer in the class while others have him much lower. During his time at Missouri, Lock completed 56.9% of his passes for 12,193 yards and a 99/39 TD/INT ratio. Senior NFL Draft Analyst Charlie Campbell, who has Lock as his number two overall quarterback, writes that Lock has a strong arm and has been compared to both Jay Cutler and Eli Manning.
Another pro that Lock has been compared to, is the current Raiders’ quarterback.
In the early games, my focus is on #Georgia at #Missouri, mostly to see QB Drew Lock vs. UGA.
I see a lot of Fresno St Derek Carr in Lock's game w/ his special arm and pro make-up, but inconsistent accuracy/mechanics. Last yr, Lock was the only QB who threw 4 TDs vs. UGA defense
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 22, 2018
Now there’s always a chance that Lock ends up being better than Carr, however, taking him over the established veteran could be a major risk. If Lock’s ceiling is Carr, and Carr’s floor is Carr, doesn’t the veteran make more sense to lead the team.
Overall, any of these quarterbacks could end up being better than Derek Carr. All have potential that can far surpass that of Carr’s. But as we have seen with rookie quarterbacks, there are no guarantees. Sometimes you get a Patrick Mahomes, other times you get a Blaine Gabbert. The Raiders and Giants may view Carr as the superb option as they know exactly what they’re going to get.
