Derek Carr Wants 2014 Draft Picks to Lead Oakland Raiders Back to Glory Days

Derek Carr may be a rookie who was drafted in the second round, but by all accounts he is well on his way to being the leader under center the franchise needs to rebuild from a depressing decade plus of failure in Oakland. Those leadership qualities and maturity are a big reason why Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie was high on Carr dating back to his senior season with Fresno State and selected him to be the quarterback of the franchise in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Now Carr is hoping that he can lead his fellow rookies to do the same as the team’s rebuild continues during an 0-6 start to the season.

According to CSN Bay Area’s Scott Bair, Carr has talked to his fellow rookies on the Raiders roster in an attempt to motivate them all to be apart of the restoration of the franchise and wants the players who are gong to be with the team for at least the next few seasons to step up and show the fans that there is hope things can turn around by leading by example despite being young rookies.

From CSN Bay Area:

"Derek Carr has reached out to several members of the 2014 draft class with one simple message: It’s time to lead.The Raiders rookie quarterback has already taken that responsibility on, especially after interim head coach Tony Sparano told him to. He’s also forming a leadership council of sorts, one that can guide this team toward a better future. Veterans normally assume that role but a youth movement is worth a shot, especially after an 0-6 start. After all, the young guys have longer-term contracts. They’re the ones who stick.“I’ve actually gotten together with a group of them and I plan on getting together with all of them and really saying, ‘Hey, they drafted us here for a reason and we’ve got to stick together and keep the positive attitude going,’ because this thing is eventually going to turn around,” Carr said. “Hopefully, it’s this week, hopefully it’s sooner than later, but I tell them all the time, ‘Hey we’re going to be a part of it, we’re going to be a part of the turnaround, so let’s keep that positive attitude. Let’s keep that hard work going and be good examples.’”“Even though we are rookies, we are playing a lot and some of us are in leadership type positions, so we do need to keep that positive mindset because it’s so easy right now to be down. That’s the easy thing to do. It’s easy to go home and feel upset and sad but the hard thing to do is to keep your head down and keep working and come to work with a positive attitude and energy. That’s what I try to bring and that’s what I try to tell those guys as well.”"

Carr is an extremely passionate player and really wants to succeed with the Raiders, but on a 53 man roster you need everyone on board. It may be hard for a rookie quarterback to motivate veteran players, but for now Carr is trying to rally his rookie peers in Oakland to raise their play and get the team back on track. Something that owner Mark Davis and general manager Reggie McKenzie hope happens sooner rather than later.