It is mock draft season, and with the Raiders holding three first round picks, Kyler Murray is popping up on mocks heading to the Silver and Black.
The 2019 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and the Oakland Raiders currently hold three selections in the first round this April. The Raiders come into the draft with a ton of holes along their roster, and have a legitimate opportunity to really improve this roster this offseason.
While needs like edge rusher, cornerback, and middle linebacker are immediate, the quarterback position certainly is not. That is why it has become laughable that people are actually putting out mock drafts that have the Silver and Black taking Kyler Murray with one of their three very valuable first round picks.
You see, the Raiders already have a quarterback in Derek Carr, and while Murray was a fantastic college quarterback, and could be in the NFL, the Raiders do not need him. Oakland has a player who is only 27-years old at the position, has been the starter for five seasons, and is on the brink of shattering every passing record in team history.
Since taking over as a head coach, the narrative has been that Jon Gruden does not like Carr, or is not one of “his guys.” The fact is, Gruden has been nothing but supportive of Carr, as has new general manager Mike Mayock, who lists having a quarterback as one of the Raiders strengths going into the offseason.
In his first mock draft at NFL.com, Lance Zierlein not only had the Raiders taking Murray, but selecting him with the No. 4 overall pick. If that was the case, the team would skip over areas of need, like on the edges, where they were historically bad last season.
Of course, the Raiders do not have a need for Murray, as my feeling is that Carr is the long-term answer at the position, but most mock drafts are guesses at this point. Having three first rounders will cause media experts to mock plenty of players to the Raiders over the next couple of months, but Murray in the Silver and Black seems like click-bait at this point.