The Oakland Raiders went for Khalil Mack over Johnny Manziel with the number five pick overall in the first round of the NFL draft and now the team may look at Derek Carr as an option at quarterback in the second round, as there should be a run on QBs after Teddy Bridgewater and now the team has a number of directions they can go in rounds two and three.
After passing up on Mike Evans and Odell Beckham, the team could go after a wideout like Marqise Lee or a running back like Carlos Hyde and those are just some of the options available in the second round. Blake Bortles was the first QB off the board and now the team could look at Derek Carr or Tom Savage in the later rounds.
Here is a look at what we wrote before the draft and now the second round is coming and here are some ways the Raiders could have played things out. The Oakland Raiders are one of the teams to keep an eye on in the 2014 draft, as they have a top 10 pick for the second straight year and names like Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, Sammy Watkins and Jadeveon Clowney have been mentioned as potential picks, while recent reports have the team more interested in Derek Carr over Johnny Manziel.
The Raiders could be in the mix for one of the quarterbacks in the draft after Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin did not take hold last season for Dennis Allen and now the team may pick Manziel, Bridgewater, Bortles or possibly Derek Carr, who is quickly moving up draft boards. According to Pro Football Talk, the Raiders are starting to favor Carr over Manziel in their evaluations following the combine, with Los Angeles Times writer Sam Farmer adding that the team has surprised repeatedly in the past with their selections and could do it again.
Stats-wise, Carr put up numbers worth of a high draft pick, but he played at Fresno State and not in the SEC and that makes his numbers of over 5,000 passing yards and 50 touchdowns not as impressive as what Manziel did. But stats are not always the main factor for teams with college players and after Carr's performance at the combine, the Raiders came away impressed with his arm strength and accuracy. The Raiders have a big decision to make with their number five pick and while they may evaluate all the top players as potential picks, there is a good chance the prospect they want the most will be gone by the time they select.
Last season the team had the number three overall pick in the draft and they traded down to 12 with the Miami Dolphins to take DJ Hayden, the players they supposedly wanted all along and now they may have the chance to trade again if all the players they are looking at are gone by number five. What would really be interesting for the Raiders is if Manziel and Carr are available at number five, as they would clearly have a huge dilemma on their hands. Manziel is projected by many to be the number one pick for the Houston Texans and if they don't select him, there is a good chance that the Jaguars or Browns do before the fifth pick.
The Raiders have a number of important moves to make this offseason and they started off with a deal with Khalif Barnes, who re-signed with the team last week and that leaves Jared Veldheer as the next name to tackle on the offensive line. The team also has Lamarr Houston to try and bring back on a contract before free agency starts on March 11 and Reggie McKenzie has some room to work with, as the Raiders are projected to have $60 million in cap space.
