ALAMEDA — Derek Carr is the fourth quarterback drafted by the Raiders in the last seven years. And they hope this one does better than JaMarcus Russell, Tyler Wilson and Terrelle Pryor.
Oakland selected Fresno State’s Carr 36th overall during the second round of the 2014 NFL draft.
The Raiders received several calls when their turn came, but decided to stay true to their board with Carr. They were surprised that Carr fell to them in the second round, and had a first-round grade on him.
Carr was projected by some as the top quarterback in this year’s draft class after throwing for more than 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns with just eight interceptions.
The six-foot-two, 215 pound Carr was the first signal caller to be drafted in the second round, and the fourth of the 2014 draft after Blake Bortles (Jacksonville), Johnny Manziel (Cleveland) and Teddy Bridgewater (Minnesota).
Carr started three years at Fresno State under primarily a west coast-style offense that saw his average pass distance limited to just seven yards. It’s the one knock that draft analysts held against Carr, but he says he doesn’t listen to them:
“I have no response to that stuff. I’m just ready to get coached by these NFL coaches. Coach (John) DeFilippo, coach (Dennis) Allen, I don’t respond to that stuff. I just keep my head down and I work.”
Working on football stuff isn’t new to Carr. As younger brother to NFL quarterback David Carr, Derek has been doing film studies since he was 12 years old.
He’s said not afraid to take a backseat to projected starter Matt Schaub either, stating that he’ll do whatever the coaches want from him:
“With the Raiders selecting me, I know their thoughts. They want me to come in, work hard, compete. Whenever I’m the starting quarterback, great. To me, it doesn’t matter what the situation is. … My number one goal is to help the Raiders win.”
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Last modified May 9, 2014 10:28 pm
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