April is the lying season in the NFL and one of the biggest smoke bombs around the Raiders right now seems to involve former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
According to multiple reports, Jon Gruden is very high on Haskins and The Athletic’s Vic Tafur hinted that Haskins might be in play for the Raiders with the fourth pick.
“There is definitely some smoke involved,” Tafur tweeted on Wednesday. “But Mayock will be sweating a little if Haskins is on the board at No. 4. There is no logical reason to take him when you are paying Carr $20 million next season, but Gruden really loves him.”
Believe what you will, but this feels like a message the Raiders are begging teams around the league to be fooled into believing. Gruden sold the Murray love at the combine in Indianapolis, but it’s become obvious the Raiders won’t have a trade partner for Murray because the Heisman winner is going first overall. No one is trading a mountain of picks for the third best defensive player in the draft so the Raiders only real hope for a blockbuster trade is to sell their affection for the other franchise quarterback (some would say) in the draft.
Maybe a few teams will take the cheese, but as much as Gruden may like Haskins, the idea of him going to the Raiders with the fourth seems unlikely, if not ridiculous. But hopefully it sticks. Haskins would look good in Giant blue at the fourth pick.
Who knows what the Raiders’ draft board looks like, but if Quinnen Williams and Nick Bosa are off the board when Gruden and company are on the clock, the pick won’t be a unanimous decision. Trading back with a team that wants Haskins would be the perfect bailout.
twitter: @raidersbeat
