Team-by-Team Draft Recap: Oakland Raiders
It is hard to argue there is a worse franchise in pro sports than the Raiders. Sure, there are any number of contenders, many of them equally squalid as the silver and black, but the fans in Oakland have it worse than blind man attending a pool party at the Playboy Mansion. No matter how bad it seems, though, the draft always brings a sense excitement as hope springs anew. From a fantasy perspective, there isn’t much to talk about, but they did manage to nab a potential quarterback of the future.
Let’s get into it.
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Derek Carr, QB
For the uninitiated, Carr has perhaps the best all-around arm talent in the draft, with plenty of velocity, reasonable accuracy (except for on deep balls) and a lightening release. He has shown a very good ability to move inside of the pocket, displaying his above average athleticism along the way. Carr is also a very good decision maker, although that may have been helped by the style of offense he was working within.
On the downside, Carr worked almost exclusively out of the shotgun in a wide open spread offense. It happens often where a shotgun quarterback comes to the NFL and has difficulty adjusting to taking a snap under center then making the necessary reads while in the midst of a five step drop. Carr is, by all accounts, a high football IQ type guy who isn’t afraid to put in all the extra work, so perhaps he has a better than average shot of making the transition.
As far as a landing spot goes, it could be worse. (No, really.) Oakland has quietly gone about upgrading their offense at nearly every position. Most key, they’ve added three offensive linemen, each of whom is an upgrade over last year’s primary starter. The Raiders also have 2013 second round tackle Menelik Watson back after an injury plagued rookie year. At the skill positions, James Jones and Maurice Jones-Drew come to town as stop-gap solutions who should provide a steadying influence for the next couple seasons.
This was one of the better picks of the draft in that the Raiders got solid value and filled a significant need with a player who has the potential to be a very solid starter for years to come. From a dynasty perspective, Carr is my third ranked QB at 24th overall. His best case scenario could be as a low-end QB1, but realistically projects as a solid QB2 for fantasy purposes. Expect Matt Schaub to start this year with an open competition beginning in the fall of 2015.
Gabe Jackson, Guard
A nice value at 81st overall, Jackson should immediately push to start at one of the guard spots. He has a very solid fundamental set of skills, with no significant deficiencies or exceptional qualities. As uninspiring as that sounds, this is exactly the type of player who can often excel in the interior of an offensive line. Considering how bad the Raiders big uglies were last year, this is a pick that can only help the offense as a whole.
The Raiders failed to address any offensive needs by adding other skill position players, but obviously upgraded their defense with Kahlil Mack. He’s a top three IDP pick in dynasty leagues and should be able to fill a Von Miller-like role for the Raiders. The fact the Raiders draft has been characterized as “vanilla” and without great controversy involved is a step in the right direction. In fact, having the words “value pick” associated with many of their selections may just give Raider Nation some element of hope for the future.
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