Raiders 2017 NFL Draft Prospect: RB Samaje Perine

Samaje Perine out of Oklahoma could bode well as a great complement to the current backfield of the Oakland Raiders.

While the Oakland Raiders do have two young, up and coming running backs in DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard, both players seem to be missing an element of power to their running style. While Latavius Murray left and other running backs such as Eddie Lacy signed elsewhere, the Raiders will either add Marshawn Lynch or draft a power back in the draft. Perhaps both.

While having Beastmode on the Raiders roster would be amazing, drafting a running back due to the possibility of injury could be wise. And if Marshawn only plays for one year, the Raiders could already have his replacement waiting in the wings.

A name that the Raiders should consider would be Samaje Perine out of Oklahoma. While Joe Mixon was the one stealing headlines for all the wrong reasons, Perine became the most productive running back of all-time for the University of Oklahoma.

Lets take a closer look at Perine, and delve into how good of a fit he could be for the Raiders.

Production

In 36 career games (30 starts) with the Sooners, Perine carried the ball 685 times for 4,122 yards (6 yards per carry), had 51 total touchdowns, and also chipped in with 40 receptions for 321 yards.

Unlike his teammate Joe Mixon, Perine was the one who took the larger share of carries for the Sooners. As you can see, Perine was very productive due to number of carries and yards he was able to accumulate. Perine ended his career at Oklahoma as the programs all-time leading rusher and also holds the current NCAA record for the most rushing yards in a game with 427.

Measurables

Perine is built like your typical sledgehammer power running back. Perine is listed at 5’11” and 233 pounds, which would be able to translate to a short yardage and power runner in the NFL.

Along with Perine’s running abilities, he showed above average strength at the combine. Perine was able to put up 30 reps on the bench press, which led all running backs, and also had a 60-yard shuttle time of 11.71 seconds, which ranked 4th overall. Considering his brute size, that is pretty impressive.

Strengths

Before we dive into actual football ability, Perine has been known as a great locker room guy, and was even named a captain for his OU squad. He has been labeled as a hard worker, who is always willing to improve his craft. Reggie McKenzie has a track record of drafting ‘high character guys’, and it seems that Perine would fit the new “Raider way”.

Perine is another prospect in this loaded class of running backs that brings a ton of strengths with him. The first major strength Perine possesses would that he has the ability to carry the ball however many times you need him to. The number of carries he accumulated during his career at OU clearly shows that.

Perine also gained the reputation as someone who is a very devastating and powerful runner. The clip below shows his exceptional mixture of both balance and power as a runner.

Weaknesses

Although Perine offers a whole lot to any backfield he would be apart of, he does come along with some weaknesses. For one, Perine has been known as a flat-footed runner, and does not possess the best lateral quickness when trying to make plays in the open field.

Perine also does not have game-breaking speed. Considering he is over 230 lbs, you should not expect him to run by any defensive backs in the NFL.

Another thing you could knock on Perine would be his injury history. He has been reliable for the most part, but it has been known that he has had ankle problems in the past. Any sort of injury history should be a cause for concern when assessing Perine.

Must Read: Raiders Expected To Trade For Marshawn

Prediction

If you factor in how special this running back class is, I could probably list six to seven running backs that could be taken ahead of Perine.

Taking all of that into consideration, I could see him as a 4th round steal for whatever team decides to pull the trigger. In the right situation, Perine could be a very effective running in the NFL. He is a name I would keep an eye on for day two of the draft.