By now, Derek Carr has opened plenty of eyes around the NFL.
The rookie quarterback’s stock continues to rise.
In a loss to the Browns this past Sunday, Carr threw for more than 300 yards for the first time and set career highs for completions and attempts, finishing 34-of-54 for 328 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.
For the season, he’s completed 61 percent of his throws for 1,517 yards and nine TDs vs. just five interceptions and a quarterback rating of 82.0. Those numbers don’t put him anywhere near the elite QBs in the league, but for a rookie on an 0-7 team, they’re solid. The nine TD passes is a record for a Raiders rookie.
And each week he seems to be getting better.
“The great thing about Derek Carr is he doesn’t settle,” Raiders head coach Tony Sparano said after the loss to the Browns. “He’ll go out there and learn from the film tomorrow. I thought the guy fought his tail off right to the very end of the ballgame.”
But Carr is just the tip of the iceberg on the Raiders’ rookie class.
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Though Oakland remains the only winless team in the NFL and has a 13-game game losing streak dating to 2013, the draft class of 2014 could well be the foundation for a better future.
In assessing the draft class of every NFL team at the halfway point of the season, Nate Davis of USA Today ranked the Raiders No. 2 in the league, behind only the Bills.
Wrote Davis: “OLB Khalil Mack (the fifth overall pick) and Round 2 QB Derek Carr aren’t surrounded by much talent, but they’ve shown enough promise and production to justify hopes that they’re cornerstones for the future. Third-round G Gabe Jackson and fourth-round NT Justin Ellis are already serviceable starters. CB T.J. Carrie has claimed the nickel job and returns kicks.”
And, now that offensive tackle Menelik Watson has won a starting job and cornerback D.J. Hayden is activated, back from a lengthy injury layoff, the class of 2013 – which already boasts strong outside linebacker Sio Moore – is also looking better.
None of that, of course, will mean much Sunday against the Seahawks in Seattle. The defending Super Bowl champions, 4-3, are almost unbeatable at home and have been made anywhere from 14- to 16-point favorites.
But the second half of this season will at least give this 2014 rookie class an opportunity to grow and learn.
