Raiders: A late draft RB could pay dividends for Las Vegas

Raiders: A late draft RB could pay dividends for Las Vegas

What do the Raiders have in Kenyan Drake?

When it comes to battling injury, Kenyan Drake isn’t so different. Is it really such a surprise? After all, according to Statista, the average career length for a running back is 2.57 years; By far the shortest of any position. It’s no secret why most teams prefer a committee of these players.

Drake is a few steps faster than his counterpart, sporting a 4.45 40 time. He’s also shown he can be a threat in the receiving game as well as maneuvering in the open field. All in all, Kenyan is a very well-rounded back, and the plan is certainly not to replace either of the two.

Insurance never hurts, especially at a position that sees so many go down. In 2021, Drake would suffer a season-ending injury in Week 13. Luckily, Jacobs was able to pick up the pace, tallying his only two 100+ yard games in this five-game stretch.

The problem is, Raiders had to continue putting Jacobs at risk despite nursing a rib injury later in this stretch.

Adding a reliable change of pace back helps, and before continuing, it would be wrong to ignore the presence of third-down running back Jalen Richard. An expert in both receiving & blocking, Richard’s main strengths are utilized in this role, but he is entering free agency this offseason.