There might be as many as four quarterbacks go in the top 10 of the 2014 NFL draft. While many consider Teddy Bridgewater the only sure-fire franchise quarterback, the likes of Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and Derek Carr have that type of upside. 

eDraft's official top 150 for the draft will be released later this week, but I plan on giving you a sneak peak here for a second. We have Carr as the second-best quarterback and the No. 8 overall player on our big board. I had him with the highest grade at No. 5, while Matt Johnson pegged Carr with the lowest grade of the 12-man panel as a late first-round option. 

In any event, we at eDraft are extremely high on Carr. As to where other outlets wonder aloud whether he's even going to go in the first day of the draft, we conclude that the Fresno State product won't find his way out of the top 10. 

Here are some reasons why. 

Bottom Feeders Need Quarterbacks

In a quarterback-driven league, the necessity to get that franchise guy makes it nearly impossible to pass up on a highly-ranked signal caller. As many as six teams in the top 10 might be looking at a quarterback, depending on how you view the St. Louis Rams and Sam Bradford. That's a whole heck of a lot of options for Carr to go off the board early on. 

Let's say Carr is the fourth quarterback off the board with Bridgewater, Bortles and Manziel going ahead of him. Even then, it's hard to imagine a team like the Oakland Raiders or Minnesota Vikings passing up on him. Just for giggles, let's look at those scenarios for a second. 

The last two scenarios is where it might get interesting. Who is a better fit for the Minnesota Vikings? I have gone back and forth on this one, originally concluding that Manziel would bring a certain swagger to the locker room in Minnesota. 

After extensive thought, I have reversed course a tad here. With the likes of Cordarrelle Patterson on the outside, doesn't it make more sense that they would go with the down-field passing threat that Carr brings with him to the NFL? 

Then you have the Oakland Raiders.

Raiders Higher on Carr Than Manziel 

This could be a game changer. If the Raiders have the choice between Carr and Manziel at No. 5 overall, it is my expectation that the brass in Oakland will go with the Fresno State product. Talking with those close to the situation in Oakland, this wouldn't even be much of a decision on their part. 

Oakland hasn't ruled out the possibility of trading down in the top 10 with the idea of nabbing Carr later on. Potential teams looking to move up for either an offensive tackle or pass rusher include the Atlanta Falcons at six, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at seven and Detroit Lions at 10. 

Either way, it's evident that Oakland is higher on Carr than other teams selecting atop the 2014 NFL draft. It could be the real wildcard when all is said and done. 

Talent, Talent and More Talent

None of this would really matter if Carr didn't possess the necessary talent to be a franchise quarterback. While there are concerns about the way he handles pressure, mainly from a mechanics standpoint, there is little questioning the talent that Carr possesses. 

At 6'2" and 214 pounds, Carr is your prototypical dropback quarterback. He boasts the strongest arm of any upper-echelon quarterback prospects in the draft with an ability to hoist the ball 60-plus yards down the field on a dime. Progressions and reads won't be too much of an issue, either. While Carr focused on Davante Adams a great deal at Fresno, he showed the ability to hit his secondary target on intermediate routes. That's going to be huge for his progression as a quarterback down the road. 

Some conclude that Carr focused too much on his checkdown in college. This might be true, but there is one major reason for this. Fresno State didn't have a complementary receiver to Adams, which left Carr out in the cold when his No. 1 target was covered. If you watch the tape, Carr never really took his eyes off down the field until it became apparent he didn't have a window to throw through. 

As it is, Carr also boasts above-average intermediate accuracy and underrated athletic ability. He may not pull a Colin Kaepernick at the next level, but Carr is a threat to run when he's rolling to the outside. 

One fo the biggest components I looked at when scouting Carr was his ability to hit the right sideline from the left hash 30 yards out. That's the most difficult throw to make on the football field...he made it look easy. 

When all is said and done, we can conclude that Carr is a lock to be a top 10 pick come May. It's now all about where he's going to land. My money is on Oakland or Minnesota. 

What say you?