Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Raiders and Geno Smith?
By Tom Carpenter
It may seem like Carson Palmer is an old-timer -- after all, he's been in the league for 10 seasons -- but in QB terms, he is relatively young, having just turned 33 late last month. Nonetheless, the Oakland Raiders should be looking down the road, because after a decade of wear and tear, Palmer's body could give out on him at some point in the relatively near future.
With that in mind, they may target a QB in the draft as an eventual successor to Palmer. There have been rumors that the Raiders are interested in West Virginia's Geno Smith. However, the Raiders have the No. 3 pick in the draft, but ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. doesn't even list a QB in his initial first-round mock draft. ESPN AFC West blogger Bill Williamson thinks the Raiders would be better served to target other players:
Bill Williamson
Should Geno Smith be an Oakland target?"At this point, just under three months before the draft, I don’t like the idea. I think it would be a mistake for Oakland to take Smith. Oakland has major needs on defense. ... I just don’t see why Oakland should bypass other needs for help at a position where it is not immediately needed. Unlike the 2013 draft quarterback class, the next couple of quarterback classes are shaping up nicely. Oakland can wait to take to a quarterback, all the while giving [Terrelle Pryor] more time to develop. There is no way to know if the Raiders are truly interested in Smith. Maybe word is leaking to drum up interest in the No. 3 pick. Oakland, which doesn’t have picks in the second and fifth rounds, could use some extra picks. Maybe the Raiders think Smith is terrible, but they want to get the Chiefs, who need a quarterback, to panic and take Smith with the No. 1 pick. This is draft season. Everything is possible. But unless Smith becomes a sure thing in the next three months, I’m not a big fan of the idea of the Raiders taking him."
