Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray will test the free-agent market. Which ball-carriers impressed during Friday's Combine workouts as possible NFL Draft targets?
Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio watched the offensive linemen and running backs work out on Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine. Latavius Murray will enter uncharted territory as an unrestricted free agent, which puts the running back prospects on general manager Reggie McKenzie's draft radar.
Most spectators gathered to watch the top three prospects at the position, which include LSU's Leonard Fournette, Florida State product Dalvin Cook and Stanford prospect Christian McCaffrey. Among that group, the Raiders may have a legitimate opportunity to select McCaffrey with the No. 24 overall pick.
However, the Raiders boasted the No. 6 rushing offense in the league with a two late-round draft picks and an undrafted rookie during the previous season. Oakland's offensive line can elevate average ball-carriers.
McKenzie doesn't have to draft a running back in the first round to maintain a top-10 ground attack without Murray. Instead, the Raiders executive should focus on improving an underperforming defense and find the third component to already talented backfield in the middle rounds.
Excluding Fournette, Cook and McCaffrey, which running back prospects should the Raiders consider in April? Who impressed the most during Friday's combine workouts?
*Official player height, weight and combine results are provided by: NFL.com.
Mar 2, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
3. Samaje Perine – Oklahoma
For Raiders fans watching the combine drills looking for the best 40-yard dash times, it's not as important for a pass protector and finisher role in Oakland.
Running backs DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard have shown lightning quickness on the field. Both rookies possess the ability to take hand offs, cut on a dime and evade defenders with a few elusive moves. A grinder, who's a north-south runner and bounces off contact would fit the backfield pieces already in place.
Oklahoma ball-carrier Samaje Perine ran a 4.65-second 40-time, but he's not known for dashing speed at 5-10, 235 pounds. However, he bench pressed 225 pounds 30 times, which is more than most of the offensive lineman:
He's strong enough to run with power and purpose through holes. Behind a mauling offensive line, he'll have space to show a burst through running lanes and bounce off a few weak tackles. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, general managers didn't fret over Perine's unimpressive straight-line speed:
Instead, there's buzz about his physicality, which fits the Raiders' backfield needs alongside Washington and Richard. There's one caution about drafting the Oklahoma powerhouse. He must work on his pass-protection skills to stay on the field for third down.
Mar 2, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Boise State running back Jeremy McNichols speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
2. Jeremy McNichols – Boise State
Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara garnered well-deserved attention after an impressive vertical jump (39.5 inches) and recorded the longest broad jump at 10 feet, 11 inches. His impressive lower-body explosiveness masked Boise State ball-carrier Jeremy McNichols' solid performance on Friday.
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Aside from a decent 40-time (4.56), Kamara's numbers looked great, but McNichols showed more fluidity in his movements during the mini-drills, which featured catching the football on short routes and weaving around cones with possession.
Due to off-the-field issues, per NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein, Kamara only played two seasons against FBS competition and logged 210 carries at Tennessee. McNichols doesn't have past red flags in his background and carried a full load at Boise State during his sophomore and junior years. On the collegiate level, he flashed as a combination back with 1,797 and 2,183 yards from scrimmage as a starter. In addition, he prides himself on protecting the quarterback:
"I took a lot of pride in that. I wanted to protect my QB."
-RB Jeremy McNichols, who allowed only 1 sack over his last 237 pass block snaps pic.twitter.com/gJ7cPcvSSP— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) March 3, 2017
McNichols isn't a power back weighing 230 pounds, but he checks all the necessary boxes to stay on the field for three downs. He can run the ball with vision, catch out of the backfield and flank the quarterback to pick up the blitz. As a mid-round selection, he possesses the qualities of a complete back.
Mar 2, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back James Conner speaks to the media during the 2017 NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
1. James Conner – Pittsburgh
First and foremost, Pittsburgh running back James Conner doesn't rank No. 1 on this list because of his successful fight against Hodgkin's lymphoma. It's a heart-warming story that deserves recognition. However, don't let the human story mask what he brings to the field as a football player.
Conner didn't finish with a blazing 40-time (4.65), but he's a true power runner at 6-2, 235 pounds. Throughout his career at Pittsburgh, he's been a scoring machine; he logged 52 rushing touchdowns in 39 contests. He's the type to finish the job once the Raiders offense reaches the 10-yard line.
According to Zierlein, he's a quality pass protector, which should place a smile on Carr's face after losing a solid pass-blocker like Murray. Zierlein continued:
Willing blocker in pass pro and showed ability to come out of backfield in wheel routes, swing passes and outs.
Conner ranks ahead of Perine due to cleaner technique. The Pittsburgh product caught the ball with ease during the receiving drills and his footwork looks fluid. He lists slightly higher than McNichols on this list because of his ability to power through tackles and offer unique qualities to the Raiders backfield. At this point, he's a fourth- or fifth-round pick with great value.
Stats provided by Sports-Reference.com and Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
