Raiders running backs: Raheem Mostert adds needed speed, but more depth required

Las Vegas not drafting one in April would be gross negligence

Raheem Mostert defied Father Time once.

His 2023 campaign with the Miami Dolphins was his first 1,000-yard rushing season in his 10-year career and his 21 total touchdowns was quite the boon for both team and fantasy football fanatics.

Banking on the veteran running back to do that again, however, at age 33 of all things, is quite a risky proposition — even for the Las Vegas Raiders who have nowhere to go but up in terms of a grimacing ground game.

“Yeah, that’s a great question. I would say it’s all about health,” the Raiders new tailback said when asked about his longevity, during his media availability after signing on Wednesday. “Obviously, as a player you’re going through ups and downs in the health world, but I’ve managed to be able to stay healthy on a healthy track. And then also, performance. That’s another thing, you’ve got to produce out there on the field. In regards to the production level, man you have to have high production in order to grow as a player and then also within the team game.”

Mostert certainly adds a dynamic of speed that’s been absent in the Raiders running back room. And his familiarity with Las Vegas offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, along with the experiences he’s gained on 759 career carries and 111 career receptions will definitely help the tailback group overall.

“Yeah, it’s run scheme. I noticed that it’s definitely tailored to the type of run scheme that I’m used to, the type of game that I can form my game into,” Mostert noted. “And just talking with Chip last week, he brought it up too, that it’s all similar. Just the verbiage is going to be different obviously, but everything is relatively the same.”

But more depth is required.

So much so, that if Raiders general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll didn’t select a running back in the 2025 NFL Draft, that’d be gross negligence.

The Prospects

With nine draft picks at its disposal, Las Vegas can dive into what’s considered a deep running back class early with their initial selection — No. 6 overall — or as late as their final choice — No. 222 overall.

Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is considered the consensus top running back prospect and while he may not be the biggest at 5-foot-8 and 211 pounds, his collegiate production goes beyond simple height and weight. He’s garnered lofty comparisons to LaDainian Tomlinson, a long-time San Diego Charger who tormented the Silver & Black and others.

North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton is likely going to remind Carroll of a bell-cow back he has with the Seattle Seahawks. A power runner who has speed to boot, Hampton welcomes and runs through contact, will keep his legs churning, and almost always falls forward for extra yards — like Marshawn Lynch.

It’d be remiss of me to not mention a pair of tailbacks that Kelly can provide an in-depth scouting report on: Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Both can house a carry no matter where on the field and Henderson can burn defenses around the edges or between the tackles. Judkins, meanwhile, is a power-type back with home run speed that can wear defenses down.

Those aforementioned prospects can go anywhere in the first two rounds due to talent and production.

If Las Vegas is eyeing mid-round prospects, Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson can fill in the runner/receiver role well. He is also arguably one of the better prospects in terms of vision and patience where he allows blocks to develop instead of being a battering ram.

Another option, if the Raiders wanted a younger version of Mostert, for example, is Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten. Sprinting to a 4.32 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine (Mostert ran a 4.34 coming out of Purdue in 2015), Tuten has rare track speed and the one-cut and gone ability to thrive in a zone blocking scheme.

The Veteran

This isn’t to dismiss Mostert, entirely. Quite the contrary.

In Mike McDaniel’s offense in 2023, the 5-foot-10 and 205-pound running back played in and started 15 games garnering 209 totes for 1,012 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground. He also added 25 receptions for 175 yards and three more scores through the air for a league-leading 21 total touchdowns. The 4.8 yards per carry Mostert averaged that season is something the Raiders absolutely would relish as Las Vegas averaged a paltry 3.6 yards per carry on the ground in 2024 — dead last in the league.

Mostert’s 2024 campaign with the Dolphins represents what the Raiders ground game was as a whole: 85 carries, 278 yards, two touchdowns while averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Mostert did add 161 yards on 19 catches but a chest injury early in the 2024 season limited his availability. And Mostert became an afterthought on offense.

Mostert still has the juice and one cut-style that should flourish in Kelly’s scheme. And Las Vegas is getting a motivated veteran.

“Yeah, I look at it like this, like I’m always going to have a chip on my shoulder no matter where I go, no matter what I’m doing, Mostert said when asked about the stark difference from 2023 and 2024. “And last year’s performance wasn’t up to my standard, wasn’t up to my par. And so, just getting back into that form, I’m already feeling really good coming in this off season, and I’m just super excited to showcase my work ethic and everything that I’ve done and worked up to thus far. I could show you better than I could tell you. That’s a saying that I truly live by. I could show you better than I could tell you.”