Las Vegas Raiders: 2021 mock drafts continue to replace Derek Carr
By Brad Weiss
Despite the Las Vegas Raiders building the offense around quarterback Derek Carr, recent mock drafts continue to replace him.
When Jon Gruden took over as head coach of the then-Oakland Raiders, inking a monster contract to return to the organization that he made a contender in the early 2000s, many believed he would move on from Derek Carr. The buzz around the media was that the two could not co-exist, and eventually, Gruden would bring in his guy.
Well, three offseasons have passed without the Raiders moving on from Carr, and this offseason, both Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock stated they will build around him. They stayed true to their word in free agency, and the 2020 NFL Draft, as they bolstered the wide receiver group, added a Hall of Fame tight end, brought in depth behind Josh Jacobs, and made sure their entire offensive line would return.
Still, even with all of that, the mock drafts for next April have the Raiders replacing Carr under center in 2021.
Two-round draft has Trey Lance landing in Vegas
Luke Easterling from DraftWire recently released his latest two-round 2021 NFL mock draft, and in it, the Raiders land a new franchise quarterback. Easterling has the Silver and Black drafting Trey Lance with the No. 9 overall pick, which means the Raiders season went off the rails in 2020.
Not only are the Raiders replacing Carr, which means he struggled in his third season in Jon Gruden’s offense, but the team played so bad that they landed a pick inside the top-10. Based on all the moves the team made to build around Carr this offseason, that would be the absolute worst-case scenario in their first season in Vegas.
With their second pick in this mock, Easterling has the Raiders continuing to bolster their defensive line, adding menacing USC defensive tackle Jay Tufele. This is a guy who is a tremendous run-stuffer for the Trojans, and he has that uncanny ability to get to the quarterback from his inside position.
Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Opponent Review: Tampa Bay Buccaneers. dark. Next
While 2021 mock drafts are fun to read right now, the hope is that the Raiders will not have to replace Carr moving forward, and he takes advantage of his added weapons for a career-year. Remember, this is a guy who completed 70 percent of his passes last season and set a career-high in passing yards, all the while doing it without a true WR1.