2020 NFL Draft: Teams who could be targeting first-round quarterbacks

5. Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders will probably be the most controversial addition to this list. It is important to keep in mind that we are talking about teams who could take a quarterback in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, not teams who will draft one.

Derek Carr does have the upside to come out and play at a high level this season. He could come out and clearly establish himself as a premier player at the quarterback position for the Raiders. That being said, it is not like this guy has been an absolute superstar throughout his career.

Carr is a talented player, but he has never been able to consistently make the most out of his talent. My biggest issue with Carr is his tendency to take the check down option far too often. Carr has not been willing to trust his arm enough throughout his NFL career, opting to simply check down to the easy throw more often than not.

Now, the 2019 season will be extremely important in the evaluation of Carr. With Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams on the outside, Carr has much better downfield targets than he ever has before. It is certainly possible that Carr comes out and lets it all loose, consistently pushing the ball down the field to his talented receivers. If he does that and Brown and company make plays for him, Carr is not going to lose this job.

On the flip side, if Carr cannot perform at an extremely high level with his new and improved arsenal of weapons, it will be fair to wonder whether he is the right guy for the Raiders going forward.

It is important to remember that Carr is not Jon Gruden’s guy. Unless he comes out and dominates, the Raiders do not owe any loyalty to Carr. If they are put in a position to move on next offseason, I would not be shocked to see the Raiders draft a new quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft, injecting some more excitement into the franchise as they move to Las Vegas.