The Oakland Raiders are said to have "a massive crush" on Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr -- but that crush doesn't mean they will take him with the No. 5 overall pick.
The Fresno Bee reported that while Oakland thinks highly of Carr, the Raiders would be more inclined to trade down to select Carr rather than taking him fifth overall. The report also said the acquisition of Matt Schaub, whom Raiders coach Dennis Allen said "absolutely" could start for three or four seasons, allows the Raiders time to "groom" their next quarterback.
Along those lines, Allen also said Schaub's acquisition won't necessarily preclude the Raiders from drafting a quarterback.
"I don't think you ever take anything off the table," Allen said Sunday. "You have your checklist. We've got these holes we need to fill. That's one that we feel like we've been able to check off the list. We filled that."
Does Allen or anyone in the Raiders' organization truly believe Schaub can be an NFL starter for three or four more seasons? That seems unlikely. But what's not unlikely is that acquiring him allows the Raiders to use him in a dual role as a stop-gap starter/mentor while a rookie quarterback gets ready.
Carr had a good workout at his March 20 pro day; Oakland's entire coaching staff was present.
No matter which direction Oakland goes at quarterback, Raiders QB Terrelle Pryor apparently doesn't see himself getting the opportunity to be the team's starter. Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie said Monday that Pryor has asked to be let go in the wake of the Schaub acquisition.
If Oakland truly thinks Carr is their quarterback of the future, they should be able to trade down and take him somewhere in the early 20s. The general consensus is that Carr is the No. 4 quarterback available in this draft class, behind UCF's Blake Bortles, Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater and Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel (the attractiveness of those three is a "beauty-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder" thing).
The quarterback situation could become -- could, not will -- a bit clearer this week, for the Raiders and every other team that wants and/or needs a quarterback, after Manziel's pro-day workout Thursday.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
