In the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Raiders franchise went into the three-day event holding three first-round picks. That was the haul, including two picks in 2020, that was supposed to change the fortunes of the Raiders franchise.
Unfortunately, the Raiders missed on nearly all of the five first-round selections, with the only bright spot being running back Josh Jacobs from Alabama. Since becoming the lead back for the Raiders, Jacobs has become a superstar in the league, leading the NFL in rushing yards back in 2022.
However, with a large contract pending this offseason, Jacobs decided to go to the Green Bay Packers in free agency, a 'business' decision for the young star. In Green Bay, Jacobs should have no problem continuing what has been a stellar NFL career, but it appears that the seperation from the Raiders was not a clean one.
Josh Jacobs had this to say to a Raiders fan on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday night.
🖕🏾 a fake ass goodbye. It ain’t no hate to the Raiders they made a business decision and so did I it’s simple move on. https://t.co/juH7VuebTn
— Josh Jacobs (@iAM_JoshJacobs) May 3, 2024
Raiders will need a lot to replace Jacobs production
There is no doubt that Jacobs is a tough act to follow, but the Raiders will attempt to do so with a group of solid options at the position. Zamir White is going to assume the lead back role, and he showed he could handle the load last season, rushing for over 100 yards in two of his four starts with Jacobs injured.
Ameer Abdullah, Dylan Laube, and Alexander Mattision will also give the Raiders talent at the running back position, and it will be interesting to see how first-year offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy, distributes the football in the run game. All four of these backs brings a little something different to the table, but it remains to be seen whether or not this group is going to be able to have the kind of impact on Sunday that Jacobs had across the last five seasons.