Oakland Raiders: Five potential Draft Day running back targets

The Oakland Raiders are seemingly set at running back for 2018, but will need to add some young talent to the ground game for the future.

The Oakland Raiders have a lot of needs heading into this year’s Draft. Basically, every position on the defensive side of the ball needs some help, along with an offensive tackle, and possibly even a tight end.

But, one thing that gets overlooked is their need for help at running back.

Granted, with Marshawn Lynch returning to shoulder the load, and Doug Martin recently signed to (hopefully) help carry the burden, and having role players like Jalen Richard and the also-new Keith Smith to help with lead blocking, Oakland’s running game should be in pretty good shape this year.

Some might even say it’s a little bit too crowded back there, with DeAndre Washington and Elijah Hood also hanging around.

Given the number of bodies, we shouldn’t expect to see all of those faces in Silver and Black when the season starts.

Martin could possibly not even make it out of camp, and given that Richard and Washington have essentially, the same skill set, having both seems a bit redundant.

It’s feasible, if not likely, that the team parts ways with Washington, given that Richard would seem to have added value on special teams.

And as for Hood – well – the team doesn’t know what they have in him, and it’s possible he doesn’t even factor into HC Jon Gruden’s plans at all.

So, while Oakland’s ground game is seemingly set for 2018, what happens next year?

Lynch, playing on the last year of his deal, and at his age, will likely be gone. And if Martin does make it out of camp, but doesn’t experience any kind of career renaissance after his past two very unproductive seasons, he might not be there either, given that he’s on a one-year deal.

That would leave the Raiders with Richard, Smith, – and a pretty big hole in the backfield in 2019.

Which is why, given Gruden’s love of “pounding the rock,” that the Raiders could look to shore up the future of the backfield now.

Now, outside of a guy named Saquon Barkley, there really aren’t many sure-fire, can’t miss prospects. There are however, a handful of guys who fit Gruden’s preferred style of running back, and could fit well into his offensive system.

Guys who could wait for a year, learning under Lynch and Gruden’s staff and potentially take over the featured back role relatively seamlessly.

It doesn’t seem likely that Gruden and GM Reggie McKenzie will burn one of their earliest picks on a running back, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility for them to grab one in the third or fourth rounds if a guy they like is there.

With all of that in mind – and in no particular order – let’s take a look at a few running backs the Raiders could potentially target this year, with an eye toward the future…