AFC West positional rankings: Patrick Mahomes anchors quarterbacks list

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 30: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs greets quarterback Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders after the Chiefs defeated the Raiders 35-3 to win the game at Arrowhead Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 30: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs greets quarterback Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders after the Chiefs defeated the Raiders 35-3 to win the game at Arrowhead Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MO – DECEMBER 01: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders throws a third quarter pass against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on December 1, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO – DECEMBER 01: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders throws a third quarter pass against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on December 1, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

3. Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders

David Carr is the only NFL analyst that still believes that Derek Carr is a top ten quarterback. The fact of the matter is, Carr simply hasn’t lived up to the hype that he received after a stellar third year in which the Raiders went 12-3. Since then, Carr has been consistently average. While not bad, it appears as though we have seen what he is and that it has not been enough to keep even Raiders management pleased as they are in the quarterback sweepstakes every draft cycle.

That being said, there is no indication that Carr will take a step forward this year. In fact, there is more room for pessimism than in previous years. While the Raiders did sign wide receivers Willie Snead and John Brown to replace Nelson Agholor, they did very little to replace the talent that they dismissed along the offensive line this season. Rodney Hudson was traded to Arizona, Trent Brown to New England and Gabe Jackson to the Seahawks. To replace them, they have drafted Alex Leatherwood and signed Nick Martin.

The Raiders have had an offseason of head-scratching moves but they are not yet moving on at quarterback. Carr will resume his starting role in his 8th year in the NFL. This season, the Raiders are viewed as a gigantic question mark as they are surrounded by uncertainty. Carr will be a huge part of however the team performs.

Last Season:

Passing: 348 completions on 517 attempts, 4103 yards, 27 touchdowns, 9 interceptions

Rushing: 39 rushes for 140 yards, 3 touchdowns

2021-2022 Prediction:

Passing: 368 completions on 568 attempts, 4442 yards, 29 touchdowns, 11 interceptions

Rushing: 51 rushes for 218 yards, 1 touchdown