Historically, no franchise has fallen in love with more "fast risers" than the Oakland Raiders. Part of that is due to late owner Al Davis' love of measurables, but it will take a few more drafts if the team wants to start shaking that label.
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Old habits die hard, however, and the club might be looking at one of the fastest risers in the entire 2014 NFL Draft, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.
According to the report, Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage could be a second-day target for the Raiders as they look to draft a signal-caller of the future.
"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," Tafur wrote.
Oakland's quarterback depth chart could certainly use a third quarterback option following the trade of Terrelle Pryor to Seattle. Matt Schaub appears to be firmly set as the opening week starter after coming over from Houston, but what the team ends up getting from him remains to be seen. Backup Matt McGloin had his moments last season, but it says plenty about where the team is in the rebuilding process that he's the primary sub at the position.
As for Savage, he has had a meteoric rise during the pre-draft process. His strong arm and prototypical dropback passer size was likely to get him drafted out of Pitt this year, but he's seen his name as high as the 33rd overall pick in some mock drafts.
The Raiders are unlikely to use the fifth overall pick on a quarterback, given all of the other holes on the roster, but it's not hard seeing general manager Reggie McKenzie picking a quarterback on the second day to sit behind Schaub for a season.
If the selection ends up being Savage, the ability to develop behind a veteran would be almost a requirement, given some of his limitations coming out of college.
"Savage must develop better footwork and mechanics in the pocket to make up for his lack of athleticism and mobility," former NFL scout Bucky Brooks wrote about the quarterback. "Given the work Savage needs to do to become a potential starter, he will earn developmental grades (Rounds 4-7) on most boards and enter the league viewed as a probable No. 3 quarterback as a rookie."
The Raiders do hold the 36th overall pick in the draft and, based on the latest projections, could also be in position to draft a more polished quarterback such as Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater. Savage remains an intriguing option, though, and he'd certainly fit right in with the past high-ceiling players the franchise has targeted in previous years.
Follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter @BryanDFischer.
