Oakland Raiders have to workout top quarterbacks in the 2019 NFL Draft
By Brad Weiss
The Oakland Raiders are working out Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, and that is only smart business heading into the 2019 NFL Draft.
On Monday, the Oakland Raiders worked out Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Kyler Murray, fueling speculation that the team may be in the market for a quarterback later this month. Oakland, which holds the No. 4 overall pick in the first round, has long stated that Derek Carr is their franchise quarterback, so why the workout for Murray?
Well, it is called smart business, and since taking over as general manager, Mike Mayock has shown that he knows how to play the game. Remember, Mayock is a former draft analyst, and has seen posturing from teams during his time as an expert, so working out both Murray, and Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins makes a ton of sense.
Murray, Jon Gruden, and Mayock all had dinner Sunday night, and Gruden took Murray through whiteboard activities on Monday before working him out on the field. The Raiders are going to have a private workout with Haskins later this week as well, as they continue to do their pre-draft work.
During the Senior Bowl, Gruden also got a long look at Missouri quarterback Drew Lock, who is slated to be a first rounder this April as well. Gruden has had nothing but glowing things to say about all three quarterbacks this draft season, which is exactly what you want to do to entice teams to trade up for your No. 4 pick.
Of course, I could be way off base here, and the Raiders actually pull the trigger on a quarterback early in the draft. However, that would come as an absolute shock, considering all the weapons they brought in this offseason, and how the team has looked like they want to win right now.
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For now, it appears the Raiders are just doing their due diligence, which is what they need to do with the kind of draft capital they have. If teams around the league think they are zeroing in on a quarterback, they are more likely to try and move up into the No. 4 spot, or ahead of them, which is a win-win for the Silver and Black.