Carr possesses many of the tools seemingly necessary to develop into a solid professional quarterback. He has a powerful arm and routinely slotted balls in between tight coverage at Fresno State, where he broke numerous school passing records. And at 6’2", 214 pounds, he’s built like a prototypical NFL signal-caller.
Having these qualities typically bolsters young quarterbacks’ stock. But many teams were scared away from Carr precisely because of said skills.
Why?
His last name.
Carr’s scouting report almost mirrors that of his older brother, David Carr, from more than a decade ago. After being selected with the first overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft by the Houston Texans, chronic injuries and inconsistency stymied Carr’s career growth.
So, does this mean that Derek Carr is destined to follow in his brother’s footsteps and lead a remarkably uneventful NFL career?
Absolutely not.
As detailed in this ESPN The Magazine story, Carr’s older brother was instrumental in his predraft preparation and is sure to be a mentor in his professional career. With his older brother in his ear at all times, Carr won’t fall victim to the same maladies that plagued David.
In fact, David wants to be as close to Derek as possible. He wants to be his backup.
The Raiders haven't signed the elder Carr, but it was a good idea. Instead of hiring a professional to help him train for the draft, Derek Carr moved in with his older brother, who helped him train. The brothers go into detail about their training in this video:
Derek Carr also spoke about the differences between he and his brother in this sitdown with Jon Gruden:
