Oakland Raiders: 2019 NFL Combine Who to Watch Day 2
Quarterback
Dwayne Haskins
Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden strengthened their support of Derek Carr during the combine interviews on Wednesday and Thursday. But that doesn’t mean they still can’t use this year’s quarterback class as great trade leverage. Dwayne Haskins went nuts in his one year starting at Ohio State throwing for nearly 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns. He has all the tools and the confidence to succeed in the NFL, and if Kyler Murray goes before him, the Raiders could be sitting as a viable trade partner for a QB-needy team.
Jordan Ta’amu
I believe that the Raiders should look to get a backup QB in this draft and Jordan Ta’amu is a good fit. He is accurate to all parts of the field and has nice athleticism to extend plays, but the issue with him is grasping the mental side of the game. Coming from a very rudimentary offense at Ole Miss, Ta’amu is a player Gruden could bring up and model for his system from the get-go.
Brett Rypien
Brett Rypien is another QB the Raiders should look at later in the draft as a possible backup for Carr. He excels in the short to intermediate areas of the field which works excellent for Gruden’s offense.
He is probably not as good of an athlete as Ta’amu, but he is fully capable of moving to extend plays and pick up first downs. A four-year starter at Boise State, Rypien finished his college career with over 13500 passing yards and 90 touchdowns to only 29 interceptions.
Will Grier
Will Grier is a name that seems to have fallen a bit since the end of the college football season. He doesn’t possess the ideal size, and his arm strength is not the best; however, Grier is smooth and throws with a really nice touch. He one of those guys that may not wow you physically, but when it is time to play he is going to shine. If he continues to fall, he could be someone worth looking at or more likely someone to use as bait to entice a team to trade with Oakland.
Daniel Jones
The thoughts on Daniel Jones range all across the board from a potentially good starter to just another guy. Regardless, his ideal frame and excellent athleticism will convince some team to take a chance on Jones and the Raiders could be in a position to trade with a team at the end of the first or early second. This combine setting is perfect for Jones to show off his physical upside, so be on the lookout for him in the throwing drills and athletic testing.