Oakland Raiders: Draft Options at Quarterback

Feb 23, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Eastern Illinois quarterback James Garoppolo (FL), Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron (L), Louisville Cardinals quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (R), and Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel (FR) look on during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Well Raiders Fans, it’s time to break down some Draft Prospect Quarterbacks.  The 2014 NFL Draft is looming on the horizon, and the questions continue to circle around the Oakland Raiders about the quarterback situation.  Rumors have the Raiders trading with the Houston Texans to acquire Matt Schaub, others have the Raiders going after Mark Sanchez, and still there are more placing Michael Vick and Josh Freeman on the Raiders radar.  The truth is, until a deal is struck, Raider Nation won’t know what to believe.

Then, there are the questions that involve Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin.  The ongoing debate on Twitter, Facebook, other Social Networking sites, and many media blogs, is who the best option at quarterback, currently on the roster, is for the Raiders.  The question was posed to Head Coach Dennis Allen recently and his response was, “I don’t know if the starting quarterback for the Raiders is currently on the roster right now.”  No offense to any Raider Nationers who love them some Terrelle Pryor or Matt McGloin, but I don’t think the current starter is on the roster either.  I’m not asking anyone to agree with my assessment, but I don’t think that Pryor is the style of quarterback that the Raiders want.  McGloin is an interesting Undrafted Free Agent find, but I don’t know that he will be the starter either.

The Raiders have been bolstering their offensive line in free agency.  This tells me that they want a straight up pocket-passing signal caller that can scramble out of trouble only when necessary.  Pryor tried to be that pocket passer, but it didn’t work out for him and he was pulled out of the lineup.  McGloin showed potential as a pocket passer, but he was inconsistent.  To me it’s obvious that the Raiders are looking to build an offense around a quarterback that can make an immediate impact, and they want a fallback plan in place.  This is why I don’t think it will involve Pryor or McGloin as starters.

Here’s what may and probably will happen.  A quarterback will be drafted by the Raiders.  The question is, first round or second round?  Three quarterbacks available in the draft have caught my eye, and I am going to focus on them.  I am not discounting any other quarterbacks abilities, but my research showed me three very likely targets the Raiders are set to bring onboard.  The three I speak of are Fresno State’s Derek Carr, UCF’s Blake Bortles, and Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel.  I will profile each player and provide some video evidence courtesy of YouTube.  I encourage each fan to do their own research on these players as well.  We may see them in Silver and Black this year.