Carr at wheel of most talented Raiders roster in years

Under normal circumstances, Derek Carr would be extremely irritated after throwing a red-zone pick.

This one made him “excited.”

The Raiders were in light pads Wednesday at their plush Napa Valley Marriott training camp HQ when Carr, during team drills near the goal line, lofted a pass intended for receiver Michael Crabtree in the back of the end zone.

It would’ve gotten there if not for rookie safety Karl Joseph, who read the route and pogoed into the air to make a leaping interception.

The play was notable for a couple of reasons: One, Joseph is coming off a torn ACL suffered only 10 months ago; he may even sit out Friday’s preseason opener at Arizona. Two, the Raiders’ first-round pick is known more for his thumping hits than coverage skills.

“Yeah, finally,” Carr joked later when someone brought that the rookie “got him.”

It was the kind of play that illustrates why the Raiders are widely viewed as one of the NFL’s up-and-coming teams, the trendy pick to win the AFC West.

By drafting Joseph at No. 14 overall out of West Virginia and signing free agent safety Reggie Nelson and cornerback Sean Smith, the Raiders overhauled their weakest position group. They signed dynamic linebacker Bruce Irvin to bookend All-Pro (at two positions) dynamo Khalil Mack.

Offensively, general manager Reggie McKenzie spared no expense to land guard Kelechi Osemele – one of the NFL’s best run blockers.

Even watching the Raiders go through a light practice, the assemblage of talent is obvious. Which is something no one has been able to say in more than a decade.

“Compared to last year, obviously we’re better,” said Carr, the former Fresno State star. “Hopefully, our record will show that, what we earn. But talent-wise, absolutely. You can definitely see it. You can definitely feel it with each play, the competition, how tight the windows are.

“I had to throw a ball against (Smith) the other day, and I mean, the window’s this big (holds his hands 5 inches apart). If you miss an inch to the left or an inch to the right it’s a pick, or it’s incomplete.”

And sometimes, you throw on target and the pass still gets intercepted. Which is why, in this case, Carr didn’t mind seeing the defense celebrate at his expense.

“Especially the play that (Joseph) made – he jumps 5 feet off the ground and snags it 10 feet up in the air,” Carr said.

“I’m good with that because I know that I don’t have to throw against him. It makes me excited. Same thing with Reggie, Sean, DJ (Hayden) and DA (David Amerson). When they make good plays like that, the initial reaction is like, ‘Dang it!’ You want it to work.

“But then you have to sit back and realize, ‘Man, that’s our defense. They’re pretty good.’ ”

The Raiders’ defensive improvement should be mirrored by another year of chemistry and development from Carr and No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper, last year’s No. 4 overall pick.

Carr threw for 3,987 yards and 32 touchdowns last season while engineering four game-winning drives, establishing himself as one of the NFL’s best young quarterbacks. Now we’ll learn whether he can make another leap and become the type that leads his team to the playoffs and Super Bowls.

“He’s a good football player, and he works at it,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. “The progression that he’s making, talented guys that work hard will improve. There’s no question that he took a significant step forward last year, and we think there’s a lot of growth in front of him.”

Carr ascribes his current comfort level to something told to him by future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, who retired after 18 NFL seasons.

Woodson told Carr that from Year 1 to Year 2 he’d experience “the biggest jump” and by Year 3 he’d be “just playing ball again.”

“Man, it’s crazy the jump that it’s been – each year,” the 2014 second-round pick said. “It takes time, man. It really does. …

“I came into the right situation when they believed in me, were invested in me, had faith in me and developed me and let me grow. And I have a long way to go, man. There are so many things I need to get better at.”

One area where Carr’s game needs no improvement is leadership. The 25-year-old was a natural leader at Fresno State, and two seasons into his NFL career he’s an undisputed leader of the Raiders.

“Derek still has that funny humor, always happy every time he’s out here,” said former Bulldogs linebacker Kyrie Wilson, trying to make the roster as an undrafted rookie.

“Guys love him,” said 1,000-yard tailback Latavius Murray. “You’ve got a guy who’s a good person, a good person off the field and he carries that onto the field. If someone doesn’t like him, there’s something wrong with them.”

Take an exchange Carr had with tackle Menelik Watson, who hung around following Wednesday’s practice to watch Carr address the media.

Offensive linemen don’t typically hang around after practice to watch their quarterback’s news conference. Unless they really like the guy.

After Carr answered “Oh, yeah. Definitely!” to a question about having the green light to run when there’s an opening, Watson interjected “Better get down! You gotta get down!” from behind the TV cameras.

Carr glanced in Watson’s direction and laughed.

“No more stiff-arms. No more stiff-arms,” Carr replied, alluding to the bruised thumb he suffered last season. “My offensive line has instructed me, ‘No more stiff-arms.’ ”

“Yep!” Watson retorted.

“If I do … they just don’t want to fight anybody,” Carr said. “And I don’t want to pay their fines.”

“If you get hit and we get into a fight, you pay the fine,” Watson said.

“That’s the rule,” Carr said. “I’ve got to pay the fine if they fight.”

An eye-popping pick by a rookie safety and amusing dialogue between Carr and his right tackle. Sums up the sunny mood at Raiders camp quite well.

This story was originally published August 11, 2016 at 5:03 PM with the headline "Carr at wheel of most talented Raiders roster in years."