Analysis

4/8/23

8 min read

RB Athletic Archetype Guide: Las Vegas Raiders

By Nic Bodiford

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Welcome to The 33rd Team’s Athletic Archetypes series. In these pieces, NFL and fantasy football analyst Nic Bodiford will break down the preferred, position-specific athletic profiles utilized by NFL general managers. The purpose of the series is to help identify team-specific 2023 NFL Draft targets at the running back position.

NFL Combine data will be used whenever possible. Pro day data will be used in a supplementary capacity if and when a player chooses not to participate in an NFL Combine drill or if the NFL Combine data is unavailable. Pro day data is marked using an asterisk except for arm length and hand length, which is always collected at pro days.

NFL Draft Scout is the primary data source with Relative Athletic Score used as the preferred backup.

Other Archetypes: ARZ | ATL | BUF | CAR | CHI | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | SF | SEA | TB | WAS

Raiders’ RB Archetype

Dave Ziegler, Las Vegas Raiders (2022-present)

Sample size: 17 NFL running backs

• Dave Ziegler officially entered an NFL front office as a Denver Broncos player personnel assistant in 2010, but his path to the pros started in the late 1990s when he played alongside current Las Vegas Raiders Josh McDaniels and current Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio at John Carroll University.
• More than a decade later, McDaniels hired Ziegler as a Broncos player personnel assistant.
• The duo again linked up with the New England Patriots in 2013, where Caserio had been working since 2001.
• Ziegler kicked off his New England stint as assistant director of pro scouting and advanced to director of pro personnel in 2016.
• He was promoted to assistant director of player personnel in 2020 before having “assistant” scratched from the title just one year later.
• Ziegler was hired as Las Vegas’ general manager on Jan. 30, 2022. McDaniels was hired as head coach the next day.

The table below reflects Ziegler’s preferred athletic archetype for the running back position from 2014 to the present day.

General Sample Information

• Ziegler casts a wide net and is unafraid to target one-dimensional running backs.
• The three-cone drill was paramount in New England and Ziegler’s first season in Las Vegas shows he took that lesson to heart. 
• Among the 17 running backs in Ziegler’s sample, 13 participated in the three-cone drill. All 13 ran faster than 7.15 seconds (4.97 relative athletic scores (RAS)), 10 ran sub-7.10 seconds (5.75 RAS), six ran 7.00 seconds or faster (7.45 RAS) and five ran 6.90 seconds (8.68 RAS) or faster.
• Among 14 running backs who participated in the short-shuttle drill, nine ran 4.21 seconds (7.69 RAS) or quicker. 
• The broad jump is largely unimportant but the vertical jump carries weight. 
• Only Sony Michel abstained from the vertical jump and 11 of 17 participants jumped 34 inches (5.6 RAS) or higher, while five cleared 37 inches (8.61 RAS) or more.
• Straight-line speed is unimportant.

Physical Traits The Raiders Will Target

• Arms: Likely 30 inches or longer
• 10-yard split: Ideally sub-1.65 seconds (2.9 RAS)
• Short shuttle: Ideally sub-4.25
• Three-cone drill: Sub-7.15 seconds, ideally sub-7.10 seconds or even sub-7.00
• Vertical jump: Ideally 34 inches or higher, but 30.5 inches is the hard minimum
• Bench press: 15 repetitions or more

Team Needs

• Las Vegas needs long-term options across the board, be it a dual-threat player, a run-centric player or a pass-catching specialist. 

Potential 2023 Day 1 NFL Draft Targets 

It is doubtful that Las Vegas would use the No. 7 overall pick on Texas running back Bijan Robinson (scouting report). However, he would be the lone running back up for consideration.

Day 2 Targets

Prospects with strong threshold correlation are marked with an asterisk

• *Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama: 30.5-inch arms, 1.52-second 10-yard split and a 33.5-inch vertical jump. Gibbs did not participate in the shuttle drills but the team could work him out privately. He is generally regarded as the top pass-catching specialist in the draft (scouting report)
• *Zach Evans, Mississippi: 31.625-inch arms, 1.58-second 10-yard split, 4.26-second short shuttle, 7.08-second three-cone drill and a 33.5-inch vertical jump. The slim dual-threat would be a fine fit (scouting report)
• Zach Charbonnet, UCLA: 32-inch arms, 1.54-second 10-yard split, 7.16-second three-cone drill, 37-inch vertical jump and 18 bench-press repetitions. Given the abundance of diminutive running backs in the class, Charbonnet’s 6-foot, 214-pound stature, combined with his real-deal dual-threat skill set, could cause Ziegler to forgive Charbonnet for his 4.46-second short shuttle (scouting report)
• *DeWayne McBride, UAB: 30.625-inch arms and 20 bench-press repetitions. McBride is a capable run-centric player built (5-foot-10, 209 pounds and a 30.0 body mass index (BMI)) in the mold of former New England bruiser Mike Gillislee (5-foot-11, 208 pounds, 29.0 BMI). A hamstring injury prevented McBride from participating in the NFL Combine and UAB’s pro day (scouting report)
• *Roschon Johnson, Texas: 32-inch arms and 1.52-second 10-yard split. The Texas dual-threat’s 6-foot, 219-pound, 29.7-BMI build resembles Josh Jacobs, who stands 5-foot-10, 220 pounds with a 31.6 BMI. Johnson is a superior athlete with NFL-ready pass-protection skills. Johnson’s 31.5-inch vertical jump squeaks past the absolute minimum (scouting report)
• Devon Achane, Texas A&M: 1.51-second 10-yard split and 7.05-second three-cone drill. Achane’s 29-inch arms, 4.30-second short shuttle and 33-inch vertical jump are just below Ziegler’s minimum thresholds. (scouting report)

Day 3 Targets

• *Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State: 1.59-second 10-yard split, 4.22-second short shuttle, 7.10-second three-cone drill and a 35.5-inch vertical jump. Vaughn (5-foot-5, 179 pounds and a 29.8 BMI) offers an extremely similar profile to 2020 undrafted free agent J.J. Taylor (5-foot-5, 185 pounds and a 30.8). Both players possess an excellent passing-down profile. Taylor’s negative-outlier 28.75-inch arms assuage concern over Vaughn’s 27.75-inch length. Vaughn incredibly produced 17 bench-press repetitions at the NFL Combine, despite his diminutive frame. His 35.5-inch vertical jump demonstrates equally impressive lower-body strength. (scouting report)
• Chase Brown, Illinois: 31-inch arms, 1.53-second 10-yard split, 38-inch vertical jump and 25 bench-press repetitions. The 5-foot-9.5, 209-pound Brown (30.4 BMI) boasts compact pop and brings pass-catching ability (scouting report)
• Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky: 30.625-inch arms, 1.58-second 10-yard split, 33-inch vertical jump and 19 bench-press repetitions. Rodriguez Jr. is a one-dimensional banger (6-foot, 217 pounds and a 29.4 BMI) (scouting report)
• *Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky: 30.625-inch arms, 1.58-second 10-yard split, 33-inch vertical jump and 19 bench-press repetitions. Rodriguez Jr. is a one-dimensional banger (6-foot, 217 pounds and a 29.4 BMI). His 4.31-second short shuttle is forgivable, given his size. (scouting report)
• Hunter Luepke, North Dakota State: 31.5-inch arms, 1.58-second 10-yard split, 7.03-second three-cone and a 36.5-inch vertical jump. Considering his 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame, Luepke’s 4.31-second short shuttle is impressive. The class’ top fullback is in play here. (scouting report)
• *Deneric Prince, Tulsa: 31.25-inch arms, 1.53-second 10-yard split, 6.97-second three-cone, 35.5-inch vertical jump and 18 bench-press repetitions. (scouting report)
• Eric Gray, Oklahoma: 1.62-second 10-yard split, 4.18-second short shuttle, 37.5-inch vertical jump and 14 bench-press repetitions. (scouting report)

The tables below show the raw data used for this running back sample.

• At Nebraska’s pro day, Ameer Abdullah improved his 40-yard dash to 4.55 seconds and 10-yard split to 1.48 seconds. 
• At Mississippi’s Pro Day, Brandon Bolden suspiciously improved his 40-yard dash to 4.50 seconds, his 10-yard split to 1.63 seconds, his short shuttle to 4.32 seconds and his three-cone drill to 6.96 seconds.

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Nic Bodiford

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Nic Bodiford contributes to The 33rd Team's fantasy football department and works elsewhere as an analyst and editor in written, video and audio mediums. These works can be found at Pro Football Focus, 4for4, Nerdball and Fake Teams. Nic moonlights at Legendary Upside by editing Pat Kerrane's weekly article, The Walkthrough.