In the Raiders press conference following the first round of the 2019 draft, Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock talked about how antsy Gruden was getting while waiting for the 24th pick. According to them, Gruden really wanted Alabama running back Josh Jacobs and was worried some team would take him ahead of them. Well, the 24th pick came up and Jacobs was still there, so being patient paid off.
Jacobs proved he was the feature back the Raiders needed, running for 1145 yards in 13 games. What the Raiders needed that they did not have, however, was a complementary back to share the load. And they could be forced to exhibit much more patience in this draft in order to get one.
Luckily for them, there are a few backs who figure to go between the third and fifth-round who could make for a nice backfield mate for Jacobs. I have honed in on three in particular.
AJ Dillon, Boston College
No back in this class has the combo of size and athleticism that Dillon possesses. Coming in at just over 6-foot and 247 pounds, he’s a load. I’m reminded of former Raiders fourth-round pick, Michael Bush.
Bush was selected the year before the Raiders got Darren McFadden with their top pick in the draft. And Bush was so good, many (including myself) wondered why the Raiders would still feel they needed to draft McFadden at all.
Regardless, they did, and for three seasons, McFadden and Bush shared a backfield. He was the smash to McFadden’s dash. At least when McFadden was healthy enough to dash.
Dillon has been smashing his way through defenses for three seasons at Boston College, putting up 4382 yards rushing and 40 combined touchdowns (!!!) both all-time program bests. He ran a respectable 4.53 40 which shows up on tape. And with his size, defenders have a tough time slowing down that train.
James Robinson, Illinois State
Robinson basically unstoppable last season, putting up a stunning 1889 yards on the ground and 18 touchdowns. He never averaged less than five yards per carry in his four seasons at Illinois State, topping out at 6.3 yards per carry as a Junior in 2018.
Robinson is a stocky 5-9, 219 pounds and finds his gap quickly and shoots through like a ball out of a cannon and plenty of punch to blow through defenders at the point of attack.
Three knocks on him coming out are the level of competition, tread on his tires, and lack of speed. He played in the MVFC conference in the FCS and carried the ball nearly 800 times and ran a pedestrian 4.64 40 at the combine. These concerns are easily alleviated.
As to the level of competition, he put that concern to rest at the East-West Shrine Bowl when he broke off several huge plays in the game. As to his speed, he has plenty of it when it matters most, as evidenced by his 1.55 10-yard split. Oh, and he has a 40-inch vertical. As to his wear and tear, that only matters to a team looking for a long term workhorse. The Raiders would want him for 7-10 carries per game, so his tread is just fine for their needs.
Deejay Dallas, Miami
He’s just a grinder (Gruden Grinder?). He does not go down easily, fighting through prospective tacklers to pick up every possible yard. But he can do more than just grind out yards. He can break off a few runs as well and his 6.0 yards per carry last season was evidence of that.
The 5-10, 217-pounder saw his yards per carry average improve all three seasons for the Hurricane. As did his ball security, going from four fumbles as a sophomore to none as a junior.
Dallas has a background as a quarterback and wide receiver, which is how he started his college career. This suggests he’s still a work in progress as a running back and understands the offense and has great hands as a receiver out of the backfield. He also returns punts. He does a little bit of everything and still has potential, making him a great value pick in round five or after.
