The Raiders are going to meet with quarterbacks Kyler Murray of Oklahoma and Dwayne Haskins of Ohio State, says Jon Gruden.
The team’s head coach even said it’s possible Oakland could draft either with the No. 4 overall choice in April’s NFL draft. Gruden says the team wants to take the most talented player possible at that position and will take pains to “make sure we get it right.”
So, if Murray or Haskins looks like a future star, Gruden and GM Mike Mayock could use the pick on one of them.
But at the same time, Gruden promises the Raiders will have Derek Carr as starting quarterback in 2019.
“Yeah, he’s going to be our quarterback,” Gruden said in an interview with Jim Trotter of the NFL Network. “I’m not going to address all the rumors. I could care less about the rumors. He threw for 4,100 yards. Threw for almost 70 percent in a very dire, tough circumstance. So I’ve got a lot of confidence in Carr (and) what he can do with Antonio Brown, with Tryell Williams, with Trent Brown coming in here to help our offensive line.”
Since the moment Gruden was hired in 2018, rumors have circulated that he wants a different quarterback than Carr, yet Gruden continues to express confidence in him.
In February at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, Mayock called Carr a “franchise quarterback” and praised him. But at that time, he also said he’s always looking to upgrade at every position. So, like Gruden, he’s interested in taking a long look at Murray and Haskins.
Sports
Said Mayock: “Now, do I also believe it’s a general manager’s and head coach’s job to keep your eyes open to improve any position on the football team? Sure. But I think it’s really difficult to try to iprove over a franchise quarterback like the one we have in our building.”
