Whether it’s letting his receiver get behind

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I’m old enough to remember when teams that had the number one overall pick would make their intentions known even before the draft began. If you have the top pick and have no intention of trading..."I’m old enough to remember when teams that had the number one overall pick would make their intentions known even before the draft began. If you have the top pick and have no intention of trading it , why not just make it clear what you’re doing?Well, the Cardinals aren’t subscribing to that this year. Maybe the Commish wants them to keep up the intrigue to make fans tune in from the start of the draft. Whatever the case, the Cardinals are playing their part to a tee. To the point that they’re claiming to keep the draft’s top four prospects in mind, and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, are going as far as to contact Quinnen Williams to let him know he’s still in the running.Despite their seeming waffling, few predictions are waffling on theirs. Most still believe the pick will be Kyler Murray, including ESPN’s Adam Schefter who said on ESPN that “All signs” point to Murray as the top pick.Even with the Cardinals taking Josh Rosen in last year’s draft, the talk is still about going QB again and trading Rosen. Should they go in another direction , it would figure to be a vote of confidence in Rosen.Quinnen Williams is worthy of the top pick so if he’s still there at four, he is certainly a possibility for the Raiders.Follow @LeviDamienRaiders see former top pick CB Gareon Conley as ‘basically a rookie’ It was pretty much assumed that with 2017 top pick Gareon Conley back after missing his rookie season with a shin injury that he would be one of the team’s starters. That plan hit a snag when he injured himself on the first day of training camp, causing him to miss most of camp. He missed all of camp last year, then missed all but two games of the season.While he was away in this year’s camp, free agent acquisition Daryl Worley got first team reps. Worley is an accomplished NFL corner who was cut by the Eagles after he was arrested for DUI and weapons charges. That incident yielded a 4-game suspension, otherwise it was looking like Worley would have been the starter to begin the season.With Worley suspended, Conley would have his chance over the first four games to prove he deserved the job. Outside of Conley’s pick six — which came off a pass defended by Marcus Gilchrist after his receiver fell down — he has mostly been known for giving up big plays. In Worley’s first game back, he eclipsed Conley’s snaps. Worley made a few nice plays and was one of the few players who stood out in a positive way.“Well , [Daryl] Worley came in and played really good for his first game,” Guenther said. “That added an extra guy to the mix so it’s a battle at corner right now. That’s the best way I can tell him (Conley). Everybody is competing for jobs and we are going to go with the hot hand. That’s what he’s got to concentrate on this week.”Conley has routinely found himself chasing his receiver on a big play.“[Conley] didn’t play much last year and he’s basically a rookie player,” said Defensive Coordinator Paul Guenther. “He is learning a lot of things. Unfortunately, he gives up the one play off the goal line and we are in a pretty good call to stop it. I don’t want to give him too much right now. If we can give him little by little by little just like a normal rookie player. That’s how I’m viewing Gareon. He really only played one and half games last year and he sat out pretty much through the offseason. It’s no different than a young player. He’s a work in progress.”The play off the goal line Guenther is referring to is a 48-yard catch Conley gave up on the Chargers’ final scoring drive on first down from their own 4-yard-line. Last week against the Browns Conley gave up a 59-yard catch that led to a touchdown. The previous week he gave up a 21-yard catch, a 36-yard catch that led to a touchdown. And against the Broncos, he gave up the 26-yard catch that set up the game-winning field goal.Giving up explosive plays has been a problem for the Raiders all season. They are dead last in the NFL in giving up explosive plays. Worley figures to help with that. He’s a solid tackler and proven cover corner. There were also times on Sunday when Worley and Conley on the field and Rashaan Melvin was not. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Leon Hall have all also rotated in quite a bit, something Guenther has said he would do.“I said it last week. I want to eventually get to two starting corners and we are settled there ,” said Guenther. “Obviously, Daryl came back. He was one of our best corners all offseason and he proved it again on Sunday that he is a high-level player. We will just see how it goes; really based upon what the snaps are, the situation, on how guys are playing.”Jon Gruden said this week that he’s never been on a team that had a cornerback rotation. It’s unusual and in most cases it’s because there isn’t a solid pair of starters. The Raiders have had depth at the position. Worley adds to that depth. But whether they have two surefire starters is another question. Eventually Conley must prove he is more than a rookie. Putting together a full season and offseason would be a good way to do that.Follow @LeviDamien

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Most still believe the pick will be Kyler Murray.

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