NBC Sports’ Peter King noted the Las Vegas Raiders could pass on a quarterback in the NFL Draft, and one, in particular, could drop out of the “top seven.”
The Las Vegas Raiders made the decision to move on from quarterback Derek Carr. With much anticipation, the team found his immediate replacement in Jimmy Garoppolo, who has ties with head coach Josh McDaniels dating back to their time with the New England Patriots.
Garoppolo is signed to a three-year, $72.8 million contract, but they have an easy out of the contract after the second season. So, that had fans wondering if the team would consider drafting a quarterback to develop.
Well, it doesn’t appear they will be in on one in particular.
According to NBC Sports’ Peter King, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was once the considered to be the favorite to be selected first overall by the Carolina Panthers, is now “no lock” to go in the top seven of the NFL Draft. The Raiders pick seventh.
NFL Draft: C.J. Stroud no longer a ‘lock’ to go in top seven
There has been talk recently of Stroud’s stock dropping a matter of days away from the opening night of the NFL Draft. There was former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn’s allegation that Stroud “ghosted” the Manning Passing Academy after committing to it. Then, there was the supposed leak of S2 cognition scores, which Stroud allegedly scored an 18-out-of-100. However, the founder of the S2 test told Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson that the leaked scores were not real and to take them with a “grain of salt.”
As has been the case throughout every NFL Draft, teams have their specific preferences that may differ from the fans and media. While Stroud lit up stat sheets and put up huge performances, such as in this past season’s Peach Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs, some teams are looking at other areas that they prioritize.
For those that were curious who King had the Raiders selecting seventh overall in his mock draft, it was Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
As for Stroud, King had the Tennessee Titans trading up to the No. 3 pick with the Arizona Cardinals to select the Ohio State quarterback.
Interestingly, an executive of “a winning team” said this to King about Stroud’s alleged S2 score when writing about the Titans taking him in his mock draft: “All of a sudden the S2 test is the Bible. Why? It’s a smart test. But how did the guy play? How was his tape?”
While fans are following the reports and rumors regarding the NFL Draft, it’s important to note that there is “lying” involved to help teams throw everyone off the scent, so to speak. That, or get their preferred player to fall down to them on the draft board. We will find out if Stroud really falls out of the top seven until we see it on Thursday, Apr. 27.
