The Oakland Raiders got a steal when they drafted Derek Carr in the second round of the NFL Draft. The quarterback wasn’t even expected to start for the silver and black this year, but earned the honor after his strong showing in Week 4 of the preseason. Carr started all 16 games and showed vast improvement with every snap. Let’s take a look back at the quarterback’s rookie season.
There’s no doubt Carr is first round material, but the Raiders feel extremely fortunate to have grabbed him in the second, because after searching 10-plus years for a franchise caliber quarterback, they’ve finally found just that. In a draft class filled with talent, Carr was one of many quarterbacks with high expectations, but he was the only one to start all 16 this year.
While Carr didn’t have many offensive weapons to work with, he made the most with what he was given. He had absolutely no run game until Latavius Murray was given more time. His receiving core took a hit as well when Rod Streater broke his foot in Week 3. Despite a very mediocre offense, Carr was able to show poise in the pocket and provide leadership when needed. Behind a somewhat surprising offensive line, Carr was sacked only 10.3 percent of the time when pressured according to Pro Football Focus, which was the lowest in the league.
Carr led the Raiders to a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12 to secure his first game-winning drive showing he can remain cool in crucial situations. He is also the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to reach eight touchdown passes within the first five games of their career; Andrew Luck, Cam Newton, and Geno Smith are all tied for second with seven touchdown passes in their first five games.
Overall, the rookie finished the 2014 season with 3,270 yards, 21 touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 76.6. In comparison to some of the great quarterbacks in the league, take Peyton Manning for example, who finished his rookie season with a quarterback rating of 71.1, that's pretty impressive. Now, Carr has a long ways to go before reaching Manning status, but that’s not bad for a rookie on a depleted and quite dysfunctional Raiders team.
Off the field, Carr showed even more poise and leadership with the way he presented himself in post game interviews, press conferences, and celebrations. The Raiders could have potentially went 0-16 this year, but after getting their first win of the season against the Chiefs, Carr celebrated the victory with a turkey burger from Carl’s Jr. It’s been said that Carr isn’t your average rookie and he showed that in various ways throughout the year.
Carr showed some trouble when under pressure at times, and made a few rookie mistakes, but that is all to be expected. Overall, he threw 12 interceptions and had four fumbles through 16 games. There were times when Carr looked like a rookie, and times where he looked like he had been playing for years. He’s made some great decisions and some very poor decisions in his rookie campaign, but showed he is capable of making adjustments within a game which is crucial for a successful quarterback in the NFL.
Overall, Carr’s rookie year was an impressive one. Put the 23-year-old on a team with established receivers and a decent run game, and who knows what kind of numbers he would have put up. Taking into consideration the dysfunction within the coaching staff and an inexperienced offense, Carr proved a lot this season.
The silver and black have found their quarterback, now they have to build around him to get back to their winning ways, but Carr is undoubtedly a leader on this team.