In the recent weeks, I have outlined potential draft prospects that the Raiders could pursue at defensive tackle, safety, and an “X” wide receiver. The plan currently is to work through the rest of the class with players that could fit the Raiders at EDGE, ILB, CB, Nickel CB, K, LS, TE, the offensive line, RB, and more receivers. I have no clue what the schedule will be, and I’ll simply just go with the flow of them. For this go around, we’ll focus on runningback options. The Raiders drafted Ashton
Jeanty last season with the 6th overall selection, and things won’t change with the impact that Jeanty can make for the Raiders. Jeanty logged 266 attempts, 975 yards, and five touchdowns while also forcing 63 missed tackles, 24 explosive runs, and all while having the NFL’s highest stuff rate for runningbacks at 26.5%. Additionally, Jeanty added 55 receptions, 346 yards, and another five touchdowns with another 23 forced missed tackles. In total, Jeanty’s 86 missed tackles were 3rd among all runningbacks. Outside of Jeanty, Raheem Mostert is a free agent after 104 yards and 70 receiving yards last season, while Dylan Laube has just 8 career rushes. The only other back on the roster is former UDFA Chris Collier, who’s flashed in pre-season, but he’s never appeared in a regular season game. Las Vegas is hosting Najee Harris for a visit later this week (maybe has happened already when you read this), and there’s a real shot that Harris could join the Silver and Black as a rotational back to Jeanty.
Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak rotated backs last season for Seattle, with Kenneth Walker logging 221 attempts, 1027 yards & Zach Charbonnet 184 attempts and 730 yards before an injury. Kubiak has signaled that the Raiders are looking to add a back behind Jeanty, and the Raiders should look to potentially take touches off him in order to keep him fresh while limiting wear and tear on the 22 year old. While Jeanty does have high end receiving ability, the Raiders can benefit from a true receiving back as well, along with a change of pace level back to help assist with the offensive production. With the Raiders looking to add an additional runningback, it’s likely they don’t look to one till the 5th or later, though if one of the top options slip it’s possible they take a target somewhere else.
Early Round RB’s
I’m not going to go in depth about these backs, just due to the fact they likely will be gone within the first few rounds, and way earlier than Las Vegas likely is looking to take a back.
- Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame (Consensus: Top 10)
- Jadarian Price, Notre Dame (Consensus: Round 2)
- Mike Washington, Arkansas (Consensus: Round 2/3)
- Jonah Coleman, Washington (Consensus: Round 3)
- Emmett Johnson, Nebraska (Consensus: Round 3/4)
- Nick Singleton, Penn State (Early Round 4)
*Missed Tackles Forced Includes all tackles combined from rushing, receiving, and special teams*
Mid Round Targets:
Kaytron Allen, Penn State (Consensus: Early to Mid 4th)
HT: 5’11 | WT: 216 | Games: 54
Career: 769 attempts, 4180 yards (5.4 avg), 39 TD | 70 rec, 490 yards, 4 TD | 162 missed tackles forced, 30.4% breakaway rate,
Testing: N/A
Allen is very versatile, he’s worked at Penn State through both zone & power systems, along with work in gap as well. He’s a very patient subtle runner, has a thick lower half build, and runs with a ton of pure power. Allen is good after contact, shows good contact balance, and an ability to hit the hole at good speeds. He has a consistent fluid lower half, works well in the open field, has a very sharp initial burst and can accelerate well, though he has semi lack luster long speed. Allen is a quality receiving threat in specific aspects, though he’s very limited as a route runner, and is best when the ball is in his hands usually working through screens. Allen has decent short area bursts, but it’s limited and will disrupt him at the NFL level as he’s not able to consistently generate explosiveness. He’s a fluid runner, but Allen’s likely prevented from being a true every down back.
Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest (Consensus: Mid 4th)
HT: 5’10 | WT: 195 | Games: 44
Career: 558 attempts, 2599 yards (4.7 avg), 26 TD | 55 rec, 424 yards, 2 TD | 157 missed tackles forced, 35% breakaway rate | 22 KR, 579 yards, 2 TD
Testing: 4.37 40 (1.56 10-Split), 10’02 Broad, 8.48 RAS
Claiborne is an extremely fun runningback to watch, and he has exceptional long speed. Claiborne is fluid, patient, and explosive, he generates a ton of initial quickness and burst along with extremely fluid lower half agility. He shows good change of direction, subtle ability to plant and cut upfield, along with good balance control that allows him to fight through defenders and maintain a center rod. He’s a true home run threat at runningback, though there’s some questionable vision at times in short area bursts where he can run into a blocker or miss a clear cutback lane. Claiborne is average in the open field, and he’ll need to develop more with his body moves and head fakes to create better lanes and longer downfield rushes. Claiborne is an average receiver, mainly working in space with the ball in his hands, but he’s not a diverse route runner downfield along with having some career drop issues. Additionally, he struggles at times fighting off tackles, and he can go down on initial contact too often. Claiborne is extremely raw in certain aspects, but he’s a homerun threat to pair with Jeanty.
Seth McGowan, Kentucky (Consensus: Late 5th)
HT: 6’1 | WT: 215 | Games: 31
Career: 375 attempts, 1918 yards (5.1 avg), 18 TD | 55 rec, 605 yards, 4 TD | 138 missed tackles forced, 24.5% breakaway rate
Testing: 4.49 40 (1.57 10-Split), 42.5 vert, 10’11 Broad, 4.50 Shuttle, 9.63 RAS
I likely won’t touch on McGowan much, he was arrested for armed robbery, plead down to a lower charge, and he’ll also be 24 years old before his career begins. He’s likely off the Raiders board, mostly for the arrest issues.
Le’Veon Moss, Texas A&M (Consensus: Late 5th)
HT: 5’10 | WT: 211 | Games: 32
Career: 321 attempts, 1767 yards (5.5 avg), 22 TD | 24 rec, 236 yards | 81 missed tackles forced, 30.6% breakaway rate
Testing: 4.58 40, 31.5 vert, 9’11 broad, 7.47 RAS
Moss has had an up and down career, he logged just 484 yards and five touchdowns in 2023, then saw 765 yards and ten touchdowns in 2024 while also increasing his YPC from 5 to 6.4. In 2025, things fell off with Moss having 404 yards, 5.2 ypc, and six touchdowns. Moss doesn’t have true breakaway speed, though his initial burst and quickness flashes on film, where he’s consistently able to get upfield quickly. Moss is a powerful back, consistently working through contact, he shows good contact balance and an ability to consistently fight through yardage. Moss is quick, but patient, and he’s also a subtle runner with an ability to hit the hole quickly and explode for 4-6 yards. Moss works well in pass blocking, and is among the best in the class, he’s strong, powerful, and has the technique but he’ll be limited at times with his lack of receiving ability. He’s shown an injury history (torn ACL/MCL in 2024, ankle injury in 2025), doesn’t anchor the best in pass pro, and despite his strength his lower half is semi weak at times fighting through contact as well. Moss is a very average runningback prospect, and while there’s flashes he’s inconsistent, he does show a couple decent moments to be a third back in the NFL.
Late Round Targets:
Eli Heidenreich, Navy (Consensus: Late 5th to Early 6th)
HT: 6’0 | WT: 208 | Games: 38
Career: 169 attempts, 1157 yards (6.8 avg), 7 TD | 109 rec, 1994 yards, 16 TD | 72 missed tackles forced, 43.3% breakaway rate
Testing: 4.44 40 (1.55 10-Split), 35.5 Vert, 10’ Broad, 9.12 RAS
Heidenreich is the true dual threat back, he has room to grow as a runner, but the pure receiving threat ability is phenomenal. Heidenrich adjusts to the ball well in mid air, and truly can show receiving ability similar to a wide receiver. He has a thick, powerful frame, plays with a ton of power, and will consistently fight for extra yards. Heidenreich can work from the slot, fullback, and H-Back, he runs routes extremely well, has an excellent explosive first step in space, and pulls away from defenders. Heidenreich is nimble in space, can work in the open field, and has true ability to create big plays. He’s a powerful, strong, and fluid blocker with exceptional technique and movement in space. He shows very good ball security, has a decisive fluid running style built off power, and decisive downhill running. Heidenreich will develop his route tree, though limited, he shows good route running, and the adaptation to an NFL system will likely be an adjustment off the Navy’s wing-T/triple option system. Heidenreich is a versatile back, and he does need to get better in the open field at times. The Raiders have drafted versatile players (well just Tommy Mellott), but Heidenreich can work in an offense similar to Kubiak’s which allow him to be versatile and get the ball in his hands.
Kaelon Black, Indiana (Consensus: Mid 6th)
HT: 5’10 | WT: 211 | Games: 51
Career: 443 attempts, 2261 yards (5.1 avg), 16 TD | 52 rec, 473 yards, 6 TD | 102 missed tackles forced, 38.6% breakaway rate
Testing: 4.43 40
Kaelon Black saved his best season for last where he logged 186 attempts, 1040 yards, and 10 touchdowns good for 5.6 yards per carry. He’s a well built out runner, is extremely patient, and does show good ability to fight through contact. Black has average long speed, but he shows a ton of juice in short yardage, fights through contact, and can be a fluid back with his short area burst. He’s extremely nimble, aggressive, and patient which allow him to be a true short yardage back. Additionally, Black is a high end pass protector, with a thick lower half that allows him to anchor, and he shows clear cut technique that allows him to be among the best in the NFL immediately. While Black is best in short yardage, there’s real concerns how well he’ll be able to work downfield, with very average long speed and a lack of a second gear. He struggled to find a receiving role at Indiana, though he had some impact at JMU but the lack of recent experience, and relatively non dominant JMU film is a concern. Black does a lot well, but his lack of experience, receiving ability, and downfield playmaking is going to limit him to a complimentary NFL back. The Raiders have met with Black, and he should be a target later on to help ease Jeanty in short yardage situations, while allowing Jeanty to maintain the bulk of receiving work.
Roman Hemby, Indiana (Consensus: Mid to Late 6th)
HT: 6’0 | WT: 210 | Games: 58
Career: 711 attempts, 3467 yards (4.9 avg), 29 TD | 129 rec, 1086 yards, 5 TD | 140 missed tackles forced, 34.4% breakaway rate | 16 KR, 287 yards
Testing: 4.48
Part of the reason Kaelon Black didn’t have a receiving role at Indiana in 2025, was Hemby, the other part is they just didn’t utilize it. Hemby has a long career, with 840 career touches making him one of the more experienced backs in the class. He’s very similar to Black in a lot of aspects, primarily winning on a downhill aggressive running style, and consistently working in zone systems that allow him to cut upfield, find the gap and utilize his initial burst and power to create yardage. Hemby works with a ton of initial power, good contact balance, and strength which allows him to work through contact and defenders to fight for extra yardage. Hemby has the initial burst to pair allowing him to work outside, get upfield quickly, and he shows an ability to create separation out of the initial cut. While he won’t be a true homerun threat, largely because he lacks the second gear and top end speed to pair with his explosiveness. Hemby struggles to make defenders miss, and usually isn’t a threat to make more out of nothing in the open field, or make defenders miss near the LOS in the box. He’s an average pass blocker, with a decent frame and power, but will need to learn the technique. Hemby has a tendency to run tall, which makes him a bigger target, and his ankle/hip flexibility is extremely average at times where he looks stiff and hard to move. He’s shown some ability to be a receiver, mainly thriving off screens and dumpoff situations where he can get into the open field and make a play, though he’s also had drop issues, has a poor route tree, and overall isn’t an impressive route runner either. Hemby showcases a third runningback in the NFL that can rush for 200-300 yards a season.
Adam Randall, Clemson (Consensus: Late 6th to Early 7th)
HT: 6’3 | WT: 232 | Games: 50 (13 at RB)
Career: 172 attempts, 858 yards (4.91 avg), 10 TD | 84 rec , 787 yards, 5 TD | 49 missed tackles forced, 31.5% breakaway rate | 13 KR, 302 yards
Testing: 4.49 40 (1.68 10-Split), 37 vert, 10’04 Broad, 4.53 Shuttle, 28 Bench, 9.49 RAS
Adam Randall is fun, like really really really fun, the former wide receiver converted to RB in 2025 and it was a smart decision. Randall shows electric athleticism, an exceptional first step, and the ability to convert short yardage into home run plays. He runs hard, has an extremely well built out frame, and can be a power back at the NFL level early on. Randall runs hard, physical, and has the frame to support his style, he works well getting laterally, and can cut up field, while also consistently being a threat to power through defenders. Randall shows really good contact balance & body control which allow him to be a stable runner. He’s a patient runner, and while his vision is still coming along, he has an ability to understand the assignment and be consistent instead of running headfirst into a wall. Randall lacks experience, his pass protection needs to come along, and overall there’s a lot of questions how well he adapts to the NFL. He’s a fluid receiver, does have good route running for the RB position, but isn’t overly explosive in space at times. He’s lacking zone rushing abilities, largely with his lack of initial acceleration, and relying heavily on long speed to get to the corner. The Raiders have met with Randall, and he’s a developmental back, but it’s hard to see them selecting him with some limitations for the system, plus the lack of experience at the position.
J’Mari Taylor, Virginia (Consensus: Mid 7th)
HT: 5’9 | WT: 199 | Games: 42
Career: 557 attempts, 2846 yards (5.1 avg), 36 TD | 94 rec , 852 yards, 9 TD | 168 missed tackles forced, 36.7% breakaway rate | 8 KR, 122 yards
Testing: 4.37 40, 34.5 Vert, 9’7 Broad
Taylor worked his way to Virginia from NC Central, but he shows a lot of NFL caliber traits. Taylor has a small frame, but shows incredible balance, body control, and patience. He absorbs hits, is able to fight through contact, and does a great job working on his feet to continue for extra yardage. There’s instances it’s very similar to that of Jeanty last year. He’s a smart runner, shows good vision, and utilizes his patience/initial quickness to find gaps and cut back lanes to create extra yardage. Taylor is a willing pass protector, but his size is a flaw, and he’ll need to add more technique but shows the mindset, instincts, and power to adapt. He’s a true receiver, with above average route running, an explosive step out of cuts/contact, and soft natural hands. He also shows an ability to work over his shoulder, find the ball through contact, and run a semi-diverse route tree. Taylor is a gamebreaker downfield, has electric speed, but he’s limited at times with his lack of size and there’s moments he looks way slower than 4.37 time. He won’t be a three down back at the NFL off his size, but Taylor does show the traits to work in a zone system, and would compliment that of Ashton Jeanty extremely well for the Raiders on late day three.
Robert Henry, UTSA (Consensus: Mid 7th)
HT: 5’9 | WT: 205 | Games: 35
Career: 408 attempts, 2339 yards (5.7 avg), 27 TD | 58 rec , 428 yards, 3 TD | 127 missed tackles forced, 50.1% breakaway rate
Testing: 4.52 40 (1.56 10-Split), 37 vert, 10’04 Broad, 4.31 shuttle, 7.47 RAS
Henry is interesting and coming off a 2025 where he posted 1045 yards, 9 touchdowns, 114 receiving yards, three touchdowns, and an average of 6.9 yards per touch. He has a good frame, and is pretty well built out for his size. He has an explosives downhill burst, is extremely physical, and rarely has ever gone down on first contact. Henry shows good vision, has an ability to manipulate defenders in the open field, and in short yardage situations near the LOS. Henry doesn’t carry the ball the best and is pretty free flowing with it, which needs to change in the NFL. Additionally, he’s very limited as a receiver, is an average pass blocker, and he’ll need to refine the techniques but will be limited to early down work at least to the start of his NFL career. Henry is exceptionally strong, keeps his legs moving, and shows above average vision. He’s a fun runningback, who has homerun threat, and pairs that with a great first step, but the limitations in pass pro could limit him, along with a limiting frame as well. Henry would fit the Raiders as a potential late round depth piece.
Possible UDFA Targets:
Jaydn Ott, Oklahoma
HT: 5’11 | WT: 208 | Games: 41
Career: 553 attempts, 2665 yards (4.8 avg), 24 TD | 97 rec , 746 yards, 6 TD | 148 missed tackles forced, 38.6% breakaway rate | 5 KR, 152 yards, TD
Testing: 4.49 40 (1.53 10-Split), 40.5 vert, 10’11 Broad, 4.28 shuttle, 8.78 RAS
Ott was a potential third runner back in 2023 after a 1315 yard, 12 touchdown season (5.3 avg) on 246 attempts. He returned to Cal logging just 385 yards (3.3 avg) and 4 TD in 2024 then transferred to Oklahoma in 2025. He appeared in just 7 games, with 21 attempts for 68 yards and looked to be a consensus UDFA. He saw a great All-Star circuit, where he looked back to his 2023 form, and his combine performance was also noticeable. He’s a tough eval, but through his time he’s shown to have a quick initial burst, great acceleration, and an ability to turn home run level threat. Ott has exceptional contact balance, to pair with decent vision and he’s a subtle runner who can also work downhill while moving laterally. He’s physical despite some size limitations, understands blocking schemes and how to attack defenses, while also making a massive impact in the receiving game as an above average route runner who’s really good after the catch. There’s limitations, obviously, with his lack of production post 2023 and Ott shows some struggles when working laterally in short yardage situations. He’s an alright mover near the LOS, and his open field work does leave a little to be desired at times as well. Ott won’t impressive on blocking assignments, which hurts his chances to make an impact as a receiver. Given the limitations, dropping production, and inconsistences it’s fairly likely that Ott will end up undrafted and needs to prove he can get back to 2023 form, but he’s worth a flyer.
Noah Whittington, Oregon
HT: 5’9 | WT: 203 | Games: 68
Career: 523 attempts, 2950 yards (5.6 avg), 21 TD | 90 rec, 544 yards, 4 TD | 109 missed tackles forced, 34% breakaway rate | 19 KR, 442 yards
Testing: 4.41 40, 24 Bench
Whittington has some wear on him but also coming off his best season with 829 yards, 6 touchdowns, and a career best 6.4 average. He’s a very compact runner, possesses a small frame, but shows exceptional contact balance, leverage, and vision. Whittington knows how to use his size to his advantage, is nimble between the tackles, and has an extremely fluid lower half that allows him to get in space and create separation from defenders. Whittington is extremely physical, even with his size, and he’ll punish defenders through his strength, lower leg drive, and muscular build. While a limited receiver, he has experience as a WR, and does showcase some decent receiving abilities though Oregon utilized it very rarely. He works well in a zone system, shows an ability to get to the corner, and his acceleration is exceptional when he’s rounding the corner. Whittington, like mentioned, is inconsistent with his experience as a receiver & with limited pass protection skills, likely isn’t a third down back at the NFL level. He’s an older prospect, at 25, and with a good bit of wear and tear, will fall to a UDFA, though Whittington shows traits to be a quality second back, and can take on the load when needed.
Desmond Reid, Pitt
HT: 5’7 | WT: 175 | Games: 48
Career: 466 attempts, 2806 yards (6.0 avg), 23 TD | 110 rec, 1331 yards, 7 TD | 177 missed tackles forced, 43.5% breakaway rate | 17 PR, 256 yards, 2 TD
Testing: 4.58 40, 38 vert
Reid’s 40 time was very underwhelming at Pitt, but he’s also recorded a reported 4.38 40 and on film has shown closer to a sub 4.4 than near a 4.6. Reid shows the true long speed, has exceptional short area quickness, acceleration, and vision both as a returner and as a rusher. He’s a threat with the ball in his hands, and despite the very very limiting frame (5’7, 175) Reid is an impact player and showed to be vs top competition at Pitt. He’s a fluid route runner, who has an ability to work out of the slot, creates lanes for himself, and runs very patient but aggressive and physical. Reid is the shiftiest back in space, is a true threat to make a move in open field to find vision downfield and turn 5-10 yard rushes into 20+ or 50+ rushes. Reid could see his name called late day three as a team banks on the true film, but his frame, way below expected 40 time, and high volume could turn teams away and cause a PFA signing. Reid does have injury concerns, while not major has suffered small injuries at Western Carolina & Pitt. Reid is not going to impact the game as a pass protector, and he needs to get better trying to only go for the home run. Las Vegas certainly should be interested in Reid despite the concerns, he’s a true danger with the ball in his hands, and as a late inning flyer or PFA it’s a no brainer.
Noah Short, Army
HT: 6’0 | WT: 195 | Games: 47
Career: 176 attempts, 1148 yards (6.5 avg), 3 TD | 67 rec, 1008 yards, 7 TD | 52 missed tackles forced, 48.4% breakaway rate | 2/2, 84 yards, TD passing
Testing: 4.43 40 (1.56 10-Split), 39 vert, 10’05 Broad, 3.99 shuttle, 6.72 3-Cone, 19 bench, 9.77 RAS
I really have no clue what Noah Short is, he’s played WR and RB at Army and he’s been very productive at both. He’s coming off 2025 with 98 attempts, 571 yards (5.8 avg), and a touchdown plus 32 receptions, 438 yards, and two touchdowns. A former DB, Short has phenomenal athleticism, great initial quickness and acceleration, plus true long speed to make downfield plays. He’s understanding of defensive systems, has natural understanding of leverage, a good release package at WR, and at RB does well getting into space with his lower body flexibility. Short relies heavily on his versatility, and he’s not a natural runningback, but he’s shown good patience, body control, and balance, with the ability to identify rushing lanes and be a player between the tackles. He’s a natural receiving threat, and similar to Eli Heidenreich should be a fun gadget player to experiment with for a creative offense. He needs a quality system, but he’ll also make an NFL impact off special teams where the Army product has 11 tackles, a forced fumble, and a blocked punt.
Other RB to keep an eye on:
- Jam Miller, Alabama
- Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech
- Julian Gray, Liberty
- Rahsul Faison, South Carolina
- Terion Stewart – 5’6/231 but an absolute impossible tackle. Works laterally well extremely well, has true initial burst and quickness. Is a really really fun watch, and while he’ll be a UDFA, there’s a good chance he makes an NFL impact with how he runs the ball
- Evan Pryor, Florida
- CJ Donaldson, Ohio State – Former TE that converted to RB, ironically just not a good receiving threat
- Al-Jay Henderson, Buffalo
- Barika Kpeenu, North Dakota State – lacks athleticism, is a very capable runner. Career 434 att, 2283 yards, 32 touchdowns & 35 rec, 369 yards, 2 TD. Had 1005 yards, 20 TD in 2025. Only forced 81 missed tackles in his career, and just a 31.1% explosive run rate.
