Every year, the NFL draft has a curveball that takes you back with such a surprising selection. One analyst has done just that with the Raiders.
Chad Reuter of NFL.com has the Raiders taking a quarterback with the fourth pick in the draft. And, he's not named Kyler Murray. With the Heisman Trophy winner off the board, the analyst has penciled in Drew Lock of Missouri to the Silver and Black.
With the buzz about Oakland's interest in shaking up the QB room lingering, particularly when it comes to Kyler Murray, I would not be surprised if they took a quarterback here, even if Murray is off the board. After all, Jon Gruden coached Drew Lock at the Senior Bowl and praised him for his play that week.
This would shake up the draft to California earthquake proportions. Virtually no other mocks have Lock going this high. For example, NBC Sports Bay Area insiders Matt Maiocco and Scott Bair have the gunslinger going No. 13 overall to the Dolphins, which seems like much more of a realistic destination.
Lock did work with Gruden at the Senior Bowl where he started for the North and completed 9 of his 14 pass attempts for 57 yards. Like he has done so often with quarterbacks in the past, Gruden had nothing but good things to say about the prospect.
"He's exactly as advertised. I thought he had a touchdown pass dropped. He's the real deal. He's got a great future," Gruden said to reporters, via NFL.com.
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After a four-year career at Missouri, Lock threw for over 12,000 passing yards with 99 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. He's known for his impressive arm strength but questionable decision-making, and only completed 56.9 percent of his passes throughout his college career.
Lock measured in at a solid 6-foot-4 and 228 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine. He also has smaller nine-inch hands for his size. In the 40-yard dash, he ran a 4.69, which ranked fifth among quarterbacks.
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The upside is there, but with so many glaring needs, it would be quite the shock to see the Raiders grab Lock with the fourth pick in the draft.
Oh, and there's that Derek Carr guy, too.
