The Oakland Raiders believe 2014 second-rounder Derek Carr can eventually develop into a franchise quarterback. It's why the team has beefed up its offense this season with the additions of Amari Cooper and Clive Walford in the draft and Michael Crabtree in free agency. But new Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio also knows that a young quarterback's best friend is a strong running game.
This season, third-year player Latavius Murray is expected to be the lead back in Oakland. Murray has the size and speed you look for in a top ball-carrier, but he doesn't have a ton of experience. Despite this, Football Outsiders' Aaron Schatz believes he is headed for a breakout season.
"One tool Football Outsiders uses to scout running back prospects is Speed Score, which adjusts the back's 40 time for his weight," Schatz wrote. "A good running back has a Speed Score of 100. Murray, at 223 pounds, ran his pro day 40 in 4.38 seconds for a Speed Score of 121.1 - with an asterisk. Normally, we only consider Speed Score when players run at the combine, because players tend to run faster on their home tracks at pro days. But even if there is a little bit of home cooking in that pro day time, it doesn't change the fact that Murray is big and fast. He's also now the Raiders' starting running back, two years after they took him out of Central Florida in the sixth round of the 2013 draft. Murray lost his rookie season to an ankle injury and then barely played in the first half of last year. But he made some big plays once Oakland got him on the field in November, especially the 90-yard touchdown he scored against Kansas City during Oakland's first win of the season in Week 11.
"The question with Murray is whether he can use that size to challenge defenders. We charted him with only three broken tackles in 99 touches last season, and ESPN Stats & Information tracked him with just 1.0 yards after contract, the lowest average for any back with at least 40 runs in 2014."
Overall, Murray carried the ball 82 times for 424 yards (5.2 YPC) and two touchdowns in 15 games last year. While he impressed in limited action, those 82 carries are the only NFL action he has seen in his young career. It's unknown how he will handle the everyday rigors of being a starting running back.
But Oakland's offense should be improved from last year, and he has the physical traits to produce. It will be interesting to see if Murray can live up to the expectations.
