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April 6, 2014Buried at the bottom of a glowing column about Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr from ESPN.com’s Ashley Fox is a report that the “growing sentiment” throughout the NFL is that the Cleveland Browns are not just fond of the precise passer, but could use the fourth-overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft to obtain him.
Carr is gaining steam because, unlike Manziel, Bortles and Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garoppolo, he ran a pro-style offense for a year in college. As a redshirt sophomore in 2011, Carr was a starter for then-Fresno State coach Pat Hill. He learned the skills a quarterback needs at the next level: timing, footwork, and accuracy, among them. He threw vertical routes with precision and displayed a strong arm. […]
Which is why there’s growing sentiment around the league that Cleveland could decide that Carr is its guy and use the fourth overall pick on him despite owning three picks in the top 35, including No. 26 overall.
At the NFL owners meeting last week, new Browns coach Mike Pettine talked about the positive attributes Bortles, Manziel, Bridgewater and Carr possess. He said Bortles has all the measurables, Bridgewater is “very cerebral” and Manziel is a “gifted playmaker.” Pettine said Carr was “the best natural thrower as far as arm strength … in the draft.”
Where Johnny Manziel is “competitive” and Teddy Bridgewater is “cerebral,” Carr is being tabbed as “mature” with an exceptional character1. He used his pro day wisely, throwing all vertical passes as opposed the bubble screens which were common in Fresno State. There is also an increasing amount of “it factor” rhetoric being attached to Carr, and plenty of it being used in Fox’s column.
Naturally, this is the exact same “factor” used by Pettine to describe his ideal quarterback. When the first batch of mock drafts were released following the conclusion of the NFL season, Carr’s name barely found the first round. For him to shoot up to No. 4 would not only be a bold move by the Browns, but one that would once again show that draftniks only have so much intel.2
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Image: Cary Edmondson/USA Today Sports
16 Comments
There is growing sentiment within me that this would be a poor decision.
Weeden 2.0.
I love that the pundits have this crazy idea that there’s some kind of “movement” on people’s draft boards. Teams have made most of their decisions a long time ago, and at this point they meet with people simply to determine whether those should change slightly or not.
If a team is moving someone up or down their draft board in April based on pro days or comments, they have bigger issues.
The team that has avoided Pro Days like the plague and has gone out of its way to create smokescreens is totally tipping their hand a month before the draft.
he might have run a pro style offense in 2011 but since deruyter took over fresno is the dink-and-dunking-est offense in CFB.
#1 in passing yds per game and 99th in yds/completion.
anyway, you know who else ran an even better pro style college football offense in 2011 dont you?
http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/17/170360/2502762-6278897736-no-no.gif
Aaron Murray ran a pro-style offense.
Just sayin…
Absofrigginlutely. Lets hope no pray that this is in fact just another rumor.
Right you are, Ezzie. The only boards that these guys move up and down on are the media’s, who get bored with their own boards and so they change them regularly based on whatever “news” is given to them by other media people.
i like Murray later better than Carr earlier – or anytime, for that matter.
Like others have said, Weeden 2.0. This would be horrible.
Everyone really needs to read “Collision Low Crossers” about the 2011 Jets season when Pettine was the DC. The book goes deep into the draft and explains how these decisions are made. It’s incredible how flexible they are up calling a guy’s name.
The book will also either give you a ton of confidence in Pettine or make you think he’s going to be another disaster. Good reading.
I think that Carr may have the potential to be a good NFL quarterback but I’m not 100 % sold on the idea of taking him at pick # 4. I think that A.J. McCarron may be available in the second or third rounds.
yeah, like the fumes of “growing sentiment around the league” waft into Ray Farmer’s bedroom windows, he wakes with a start, grabs his pad and scribbles over and over “Derek Carr Derek Carr Derek Carr.”
Every year, same thing. And then on draft day the player “falling down the board!” Really – whose board? You can’t fall from a place you never were.
How dumb would Farmer and Pettine look if they overreached for Carr at #4 and he failed? If they would get Blake, Johnny or Teddy and they failed at least they were picked relative to their draft value. If no QB’s are selected with the first 3 picks then I could see them trading down if they’re aiming for Carr. They could trade with Minn at 8 and even use the value from that trade to trade up from 26 then to get a better player there too. These are exciting times for the Browns and their fans. I’d hate to see them mess it up… again.
I can’t see taking Carr at #4. Maybe at #26. Let him hold the clipboard for at least one season. I don’t think he’s a franchise quarterback either. Draft another QB later in the draft too.