Tag: Las Vegas Raiders news

In a display of diligence, Raiders first to visit stat-stuffing, small-school EDGE prospect

The Raiders scouting department was the first on the scene to scout one obscure, high-performing 2020 pass-rush prospect.

The Raiders selected a small-school EDGE player late in last year’s NFL draft, and in a display of diligence, they were the first to take an in-person look at a similar 2020 prospect.

Last year, it was DE Quinton Bell, drafted in the seventh round out of Prarie View A&M. This time around, the Raiders gathered information on pass-rush specialist Shaq Bradford, who dominated the competition for tiny Kansas Wesleyan University, an NAIA school. (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.)

Listed on Kansas Wesleyan’s team website at 5-foot-10 and 223 pounds, Bradford went on a two-year tear after attending junior college, finishing with an incredible 63 tackles for loss and 43 sacks.

Bradford told On Air with Chris Shanafelt it was a visit from the Raiders in early 2019 that made his NFL dream seem attainable.

“I had the Raiders talk to me and they and did a measurement test, and that’s when I knew, like, there’s a possibility. These teams are looking,” Bradford said. “They’re at least giving me somewhat of an opportunity. That Raiders scout didn’t have to come talk to me and take all my measurements. When he took that time, it really opened up my eyes.”

More NFL scouts followed the Raiders lead. According to Bradford, teams visited throughout the season to take a look at him and another Kansas Wesleyan prospect, offensive tackle Ely Smith.

Raiders general manager Mike Mayock is open to selecting little known prospects, judging from his selection of Bell, whom NFL Media didn’t even have highlight footage of. Mayock could also potentially sign Bradford as an undrafted free agent.

But that Mayock’s scouting department was the first on the scene at tiny Kansas Wesleyan should bolster the confidence of Raiders fans. It’s an important offseason, with the team looking to take another step forward in their new Las Vegas home, and it seems that Mayock is leaving no stone unturned in his search for future Raiders.

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Raiders QB Derek Carr looks forward to taking ‘every snap’ at new Allegiant Stadium until he’s ‘done’

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr plans to make Allegiant stadium his home away from home.

The Raiders officially became the Las Vegas Raiders on Wednesday, and it was a sight to behold. A ceremony outside a burgeoning Allegiant Stadium represented a monumental change for an iconic franchise.

But one thing about the Raiders that seems to never change is the supposedly precarious quarterback situation. With coach Jon Gruden having gutted most of the roster since taking over in 2018, replacing it with his own, hand-selected players, veteran QB Derek Carr is often the subject of rumor.

Will Carr go? Or will he stay? And how about the Raiders’ two first-round draft picks? Will the quarterback-crazed Gruden become sold on a young prospect and toss the progress he’s made with Carr out the window, favoring a player with a higher ceiling? Or, might the Raiders acquire another veteran to take Carr’s place?

Carr, while playing a starring role at the Raiders’ ceremony, made it clear that he plans to be in Las Vegas — not only for the first snap at Allegiant Stadium but for every snap.

“I’ll say it this way: I look forward to taking the first snap in that stadium, and I look forward to taking every snap from here on out — until I’m done,” he said, according to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez.

Carr acknowledged the most recent Raiders QB rumor, which started when NFL QB Tom Brady was photographed chatting with team owner, Mark Davis at a UFC fight on Saturday. To Carr, it’s just the nature of the business.

“Especially when people are seen with certain people,” Carr said, per Gutierrez, addressing the Brady rumor. “It’s like, ‘Oh, gosh. Well, I was at dinner with [Davis] last night. Does that count for anything?’ Golly. It’s just funny.”

Carr is clearly the man for now. General manager Mike Mayock told The Athletic’s Vic Tafur that Carr improved in 2019, his second with Gruden. Mayock also said, however, that he’s evaluating every position, including quarterback.

That statement will leave the door wide open for more speculation surrounding Carr. Will he stay, or will he go? Carr doesn’t have the luxury of pondering that question, and he clearly aims to make Allegiant Stadium his home away from home until he rides off into the Vegas sunset.

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