After months of discussion about which quarterback the Las Vegas Raiders might draft, they didn’t end up selecting a single player at the position. However, they aren’t coming away from the process without a rookie quarterback.
According to an April 27 X post from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Raiders are signing former South Alabama quarterback Carter Bradley.
Notably, Bradley is the son of current Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who was the Raiders’ defensive coordinator in 2021. Also, general manager Tom Telesco was Bradley’s general manager while they were both with the Los Angeles Chargers from 2017 to 2020.
It’s possible that Telesco had some more insight into Carter Bradley due to his previous relationship with his father. The quarterback is a bit older for a rookie at 24. He spent six years in college. He started at Toledo and played there for four years before transferring to South Alabama.
He threw for a total of 8,372 yards and 61 touchdowns throughout college.
Draft Profile on Carter Bradley
Bradley isn’t the exciting prospect that Raiders fans were likely hoping for heading into the draft. However, he’s a mature player who will bring a high football IQ to the Raiders locker room, according to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.
“Bradley has a good understanding of his offensive design and where to go with the football,” Zierlein wrote in Bradley’s draft profile. “He’s intelligent but limited as an athlete and doesn’t have the accuracy to sit in a pocket and beat NFL defenders on intermediate and deep throws. He might need to improve his footwork and delivery mechanics to make an NFL roster.”
Bradley does have good size at 6-foot-3, 216 pounds but he’s not particularly mobile. While he showed some flashes in college, there wasn’t an expectation that he’d get drafted.
“I don’t think so, but I think he’s going to be in demand after the draft,” an NFC scouting director told Tom Pelissero in an April 19 column. “Really tough kid, strong arm. Obviously a coach’s kid. His dad’s well-received around the league. He is his own man, but he’s got all the positive things from being [the son of a coach who] had to grind his way in the NFL, too.”
Bradley participated in the Senior Bowl and that helped him get signed.
“He did a nice job at the Senior Bowl,” an AFC scouting director told Pelissero. “At least you feel good about him being able to operate it for you in practice. Maybe he’s developmental.”
Bradley will be competing for the No. 3 quarterback spot for the Raiders and should have a chance to earn the job.
Las Vegas Raiders Didn’t Consider QB After Day 1
The Raiders didn’t come away from the draft but they did consider taking one. However, they were only going to realistically take one if they could’ve found an option they liked in the first round, according to Tom Telesco, via an April 27 X post from The Athletic’s Tashan Reed.
Six quarterbacks were selected before the Raiders picked at No. 13 so it’s easy to understand why they decided to sit out the rest of the draft. The need at quarterback is still real but Las Vegas will likely need to wait until next year to find a franchise player at the position.
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