AP

When the Raiders started their offseason workouts last year, quarterback Derek Carr was still waiting to find out what NFL team would bring him on board.

Oakland would make Carr a second-round pick the next month and he’d eventually beat out Matt Schaub to become the team’s starter for all 16 games in his rookie season. Carr had his ups and downs on the field, but showed enough promise to hold the job heading into this season and believes that he’ll be a better leader with a year of experience under his belt.

“When I came in, out of respect, I couldn’t just be the alpha male, the dominant leader, because it wasn’t my team yet,” Carr said, via Jerry McDonald of Bay Area News Group. “I couldn’t assert my leadership role. Now I don’t have to hold back. I can come in and be myself from the beginning and lead our team.”

Carr will be playing in a different scheme, but said Monday that he thinks offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is installing things that Carr does well as part of an effort that makes him more at home in the offense. Those changes should make it even easier for Carr to assert his leadership since they make it clear that he’s the centerpiece of the unit for the present and future in Oakland.