Confidence is an important piece to the quarterback puzzle, and Derek Carr showed plenty of it leading up to the 2014 NFL Draft.
The former Fresno State star said he was 'absolutely' the best signal caller in this class and come September he will get a chance to prove that hubris after being selected No. 36 overall by the Oakland Raiders on Friday night.
A quick check of the draft board says the NFL as a whole thought Carr was the only the fourth best option at the game's most important position, a reality which had some supporters believing he paid for the sins of his older brother.
David Carr, of course, was the No. 1 overall pick of the expansion Houston Texans back in 2002, a marriage which quickly turned sour.
Both sides were to blame in David's downfall. His mechanics left a lot to be desired when he arrived in south Texas and there was little improvement throughout his tenure with the Texans. Of course Houston was like most expansion teams while Carr was struggling along, largely devoid of talent around what was supposed to be the face of the franchise.
David Carr actually spent a decade in the NFL, eventually morphing into a capable backup according to some at least. But, anyway you slice it, using the word capable when discussing a former No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft is never a good sign.
David finished his career with a pedestrian 74.9 passer rating for four different teams en route to earning the tag journeyman.
Of course Derek's skills as a football player have nothing to do with his older brother but 12 years after David started disappointing the Lone Star State, Derek was about to get his chance in the NFL after being named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year.
He led the nation with 5,082 passing yards and 50 touchdown passes for the 11-2 Bulldogs and many scouts rated the younger Carr as a potential first- round pick, especially early in the process but nearly every report on Derek, even ones from positive sources, referenced his brother.
"Smart, adaptable, talented, talented guy," one scout told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel when discussing Derek. "Just a little off on the deep-ball accuracy. If I had all my coaches and all the people on board, I would not be afraid to pull the trigger on him in the top half of the first round."
Too many people were, though.
In fact only one quarterback was deemed worthy of that lofty status, Central Florida's Blake Bortles, who went No. 3 overall to Jacksonville.
Johnny Manziel, who was taken at No. 22 by Cleveland, and Teddy Bridgewater (No. 32 to Minnesota) were the only other signal callers to receive a call on Thursday night.
Whether it's unfair or not, the film said Derek Carr belonged in that group but the pedigree did not.
"He's tougher than is bother," a second scout said. Probably a bit more mature too as Derek will enter the NFL as a married man with an infant son.
The Carr name, however, doesn't carry the same cachet as say the Matthews moniker.
"He's a little erratic in his decision making," a third personnel man surmised when talking about Derek. "You wonder if he can lead because he's a little different. Ok, in the interview but not the type of guy you'd have a beer with. Good kid but a little bit of a forced leader."
Just like his brother.
In fact you wonder if that scouting report was a little bit forced itself, perhaps by the copy and paste keys because the file could have read Carr, David.
When it comes to the NFL, the Raiders are rarely the voice of reason and usually breed skepticism.
"Just win baby" has turned into "hey maybe we can play .500 football if everything breaks right."
For once, though, the Raiders didn't let arcane thinking invade their collective mindset and snared a legitimate prospect at the most difficult position to fill.
For once, the Raiders were ahead of the curve.
[SportsNetwork.com]
