Raiders NFL Draft: Late running back selection still makes sense for Las Vegas

Why does it make sense for the Raiders to go running back in the draft, despite having so much talent in the unit?

The Raiders’ running back room for the 2022 season is ready to go, that much is true, but the following year gets a little trickier.

For starters, Kenyan Drake is on the last year of his contract, and this puts the Silver and Black in a bind. If he plays well, the running back with an already coveted name becomes that much more sought out, and in all likelihood commands a higher price tag. While this normally might not be an issue, Las Vegas just handed out big contracts to Maxx Crosby, Davante Adams, and Derek Carr.

They may not even be done throwing big money at upcoming free agents, as Hunter Renfrow is on the last year of his rookie contract as well. All in all, the money Las Vegas has at their disposal continues to dwindle, and there are bigger things to worry about than throwing sizeable money at your complimentary back – Especially when you can simply pick one up in the later stages of the draft.

On the other hand, if Drake performs worse than expected, there’s likely not much desire to put him under contract for the ’23 season. If there’s a young, talented back on the roster, this isn’t an issue either way.

I said there are bigger things to worry about than throwing sizeable money at your complimentary back; One of those things is retaining the workhorse back, Josh Jacobs, whose rookie contract is also coming to an end. As a first-round pick, Jacobs does have a fifth-year option, but the $8M cap hit attached to that option is nothing to sneeze at.

It also doesn’t help much that Bolden is on a one-year deal himself, albeit there’s a slim chance he would cost a pretty penny to retain.

The Raiders are expected to have just north of the $44M cap in 2023 at this point, and that’s before addressing some major details. The Raiders [projected] starting outside cornerbacks, Rock Ya-Sin and Trayvon Mullen, also fall in the category of players in the final year of their current contract. If nothing else, drafting a running back late allows some cap flexibility here.