I am sure, like me, you are super excited about the prospect of Tom Savage:
http://www.sfgate.com/raiders/article/Raiders-might-have-Pitt-QB-in-their-sights-for-5458313.php?cmpid=twitter-mobile
When the Raiders traded for
Matt Schaub in March, general manager
Reggie McKenzie and head coach
Dennis Allen were both on the road scouting, so offensive coordinator
Greg Olson handled the introductions to the media.
Olson said "it was critical" to add a proven quarterback after last season's 4-12 record, and called it the team's No. 1 offseason priority. He hit the point home a few more times for good measure.
"You can't count on a quarterback possibly falling to you in the draft, so you'd better have a plan," Olson said.
Schaub is 32 and coming off his worst season; if not, he'd still be with the
Houston Texans. What is Plan B?
Second-year quarterback
Matt McGloin is the backup, but the coaches aren't sure if he is a future starter. Which brings us to this week's draft. Oakland is not expected to draft a quarterback with the No. 5 pick on Thursday night but could address the need in the second or third round Friday.
And though there are many big-name quarterbacks who might fit the bill, there is a big-armed quarterback whom the Raiders might grab in the third round. Meet Pittsburgh's
Tom Savage, who went more than 1,000 days between starts at Rutgers and Pittsburgh.
The Raiders have been in on Savage since the beginning of the scouting process, before the recent hype which has the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder going even as high as the second round.
"Savage is really intriguing because he throws the ball as well as anybody in this draft," NFL Network draft expert
Mike Mayock said. "Savage has been to three different colleges. You'd like him to have better feet. He takes too many sacks. From an arm-talent perspective, it doesn't get much better than Tom Savage."
Savage does need to speed up his decision-making in the pocket, and is still dealing with some rust and lack of experience because of his college travels. But the Raiders, according to sources, like not only his arm but also his intelligence and toughness.
He could be a perfect candidate to sit behind Schaub and McGloin and watch for a season or two.
"He's going to need to learn to get the ball out of his hands more efficiently," Mayock said.
In his one season of eligibility at Pitt, Savage was elected a captain and completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,958 yards and 21 touchdowns with nine interceptions.
His offensive line wasn't very good, but Savage also gets some of the blame for being sacked 43 times - the most in the nation. As Savage told ESPN, this past season was the first time he "really understood what was going on" under center.
Savage started his college career with a bang, winning freshman All-American honors at Rutgers. A hand injury and his attitude cost him his starting job, and he eventually transferred to Arizona. That didn't work well, so Savage left another program and decided to walk on at Pitt.
Savage met with or worked out for 26 NFL teams. They wanted to hear what really happened.
"A lot of the teams really commended me just on being honest about this thing," Savage told ESPN. "I think a lot of times in college, kids want to place the blame on coaches, and I think that they're easy scapegoats - 'Oh, I guess the coach didn't like me.'
"The reality was that it was on me and I was to (blame) at Rutgers, and I had the job taken from me. I just learned a lot from the whole process, and coaches want to hear the honest truth. They don't want to hear the blame game, they don't want to hear any excuses. That's the way the game is, and it's a performance-based game and you've got to go out there and perform every game or you're going to lose your job."
Top quarterbacksThe Raiders didn't necessarily fall in love with any of the top three quarterbacks in this year's draft, and the acquisition of Matt Schaub allows them to pick one to develop after the first round. Here is our top 10:
Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville: His stock fell after a poor pro day, but he's still the most ready to play on Day 1. First round.
Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M: Johnny Football is the most exciting, but will his style and size translate to the next level? First round.
Blake Bortles, Central Florida: Looks the part at 6-foot-5, but doesn't have great arm. Footwork issues. First round.
Derek Carr, Fresno State: His brother was a bust, but Derek has a better arm. Looked bad in bowl game against USC. First round.
Zach Mettenberger, LSU: Pocket quarterback with a good arm and some off-field issues, and has injured knee. Second round.
Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois: Intriguing project doesn't have a feel for pocket pressure. Second round.
A.J. McCarron, Alabama: National-title rings, but his throws have a tendency to sail. Poor man's Mettenberger. Third round.
Tom Savage, Pittsburgh: Big, big arm erases enough concerns that otherwise would drop him to lower rounds. Third round.
Aaron Murray, Georgia: Drew Brees is one of a kind. But in case you don't agree, here is 6-foot pocket passer with an average arm. Fourth round.
Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech: Many think you can't teach accuracy. Many won't be picking this impressive athlete. Fifth round.
