ESPN Suggests Oakland Raiders Should Draft Marcus Mariota
By Chase Ruttig
Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) walks off the field after losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2015 CFP National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Derek Carr has been anointed the future of the Oakland Raiders at the quarterback position, a 2014 second round pick who might finally provide the answer the team has been looking for since Rich Gannon retired. Winning the final three home games of 2014, Carr proved that he is headed in a positive direction after a season of experience in starting all 16 games as a rookie.
More from Just Blog Baby
- Raiders news: Free agent TE Foster Moreau diagnosed with cancer
- Order your Jimmy Garoppolo Las Vegas Raiders gear now
- Las Vegas Raiders: 2023 NFL Draft will make-or-break David Ziegler Era
- Raiders news: Jimmy Garoppolo offered a different kind of deal
- Raiders 2023 NFL Draft: Trading down for an elite DT on Day 1
That strong end to the season was expected to end all discussions of the Raiders potentially drafting one of the top quarterbacks in the 2015 Draft, namely Heisman winning quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston. Carr’s three season ending victories and strong TD/INT ratio as a rookie removing any speculation that general manager Reggie McKenzie would consider pressing the reset button even if it appeared he found his starter of the future last year.
However one columnist for ESPN’s Insider website is still going down with the ship on the idea that the Raiders should throw it all in the trash can with Derek Carr and draft Marcus Mariota even if their 2014 second rounder has shown that he can be a starter for Oakland for years to come.
John McTigue wrote for the subscription ESPN Insider that the Raiders still should pursue Mariota, suggesting that the team can upgrade their quarterback still by taking the Oregon Ducks college star who lost to Ohio State in the National Championship during his Heisman winning season before entering the 2015 Draft.
The Raiders should draft Marcus Mariota to replace Derek Carr if he’s available at No. 4 overall. Here’s why: http://t.co/VLM8BWABOK
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 23, 2015
As expected the column did not draw a ton of love as most in the football world believe the Raiders should stick with Carr to see what they truly have with a promising young talent, even if the team went 3-13 last year.
Today's not April Fool's. RT @ESPNStatsInfo: Raiders should draft Marcus Mariota to replace Derek Carr. Here’s why: http://t.co/tbEvZbujQj
— Patrick Schmidt (@PatrickASchmidt) March 23, 2015
There's an ESPN insider article on why the #Raiders should draft Marcus Mariota... SMDH.
— James (@OaklandAboveAll) March 23, 2015
It is very unlikely that Carr is going to be replaced by yet another rookie this upcoming season, but McTigure does explore the potential for the Raiders to improve upon the position through the draft if it is truly correct that Mariota is the better quarterback with the higher upside. That could be proven to be true, but the risk of using another high pick on a QB just one year after finding a more than capable starter in their current young passer.
What do you think of the idea of the Raiders drafting Carr? Let us know in the comments.