2014 NFL Mock Draft: Minnesota Vikings Select Derek Carr

Jan 25, 2014; Mobile, AL, USA; South squad quarterback Derek Carr of Fresno State (4) walks off the field against the North squad during the first quarter at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

NFL Spin Zone, the NFL hub of the FanSided network, has gotten into the act with their first mock draft of the season (such restraint, waiting all the way to February). Like most observers, the Spin Zone guys have the Vikings going QB with the #8 overall pick:

The Minnesota Vikings are left with the last of the “big four” quarterbacks, but Derek Carr is just about as good as Manziel and isn’t far off from Blake Bortles either. I kind of hate how Carr gets lumped into the back of the bus, as if it’s a bad thing that he’s picked behind those guys. Carr has a cannon of an arm, and he reminds me of a cross between Jay Cutler and Matthew Stafford. He has all the tools to be a franchise quarterback, and I actually think he’s better than Manziel. This guy is also more polished than Manziel, and he makes perfect sense for the Vikings here. They desperately need a quarterback, and hopefully Norv Turner can help mold Carr into a franchise passer.

The Cutler/Stafford comparison has come up a lot with Carr and it’s not necessarily meant as flattery. Those QBs sometimes get out-of-whack with footwork and that happens with Carr as well. There is concern that Carr’s big arm might make him a little too confident out there, like Stafford, leading to occasional lapses of judgment.

If you like that kind of QB, you call him a Gunslinger. If you don’t like that kind of QB, you call him an idiot.

One thing I don’t get is people comparing Carr to Christian Ponder. Carr’s scouting reports paint a picture of a guy who is the opposite of Ponder, especially in terms of arm strength.

I guess when you hate a QB the easy insult is to call him Ponder 2.0, even if the analogy doesn’t make any sense based on talent. It’s like calling someone Hitler when you disagree with them. You’re not really making an intelligent point, you’re just throwing out insults.

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