The quarterback debate involving the Raiders signal caller has been an ongoing topic for the last few seasons. Whether or not Derek Carr is the guy moving forward remains a question that’ll have more clues telling down the road. Carr has given the organization stability at the quarterback position, which they had lacked for close to a decade prior to drafting him, but the odds that Gruden goes three drafts in a row without selecting a quarterback seems awfully slim.
Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts projects as an adequate starting quarterback in the NFL, but would benefit with a year of sitting behind a veteran during his rookie season to learn the offensive system and the in’s and out’s of the position. Hurts has shown progression as a pocket passer throughout every season in college, while also doing immense damage when tucking the ball and running it himself.
One of the biggest knocks on Carr is his inability to extend plays, and that’s one area where Hurts has thrived in college, making something out of nothing.
Throughout Gruden’s coaching career he’s always been adamant about protecting the football, which is another positive quality that Hurts possesses. In Hurts’ senior season he committed just eight interceptions to go along with his total of 52 touchdowns (passing and rushing).
His draft stock recently took a slight hit with his recent performance against LSU in the semifinals game, but his overall sample size speaks large volumes.
Pros:
- Accuracy
- Speed
- Off script plays
Cons:
- Progressions
- Decision making
- Reads in the secondary