Oakland Raiders: Five potential Draft Day running back targets

Kalen Ballage (Arizona State University)

Some have concerns about his field vision and decisiveness when it comes to picking a lane and running through it. Those same people express concerns about the fact that he runs a little bit too upright at times.

Which, of course, are all valid concerns to have, since those sound a lot like a former Raiders running back named Darren McFadden. And we all know how that worked out.

However, Ballage showed out well at the Senior Bowl, perhaps proving that he’s got a bit more to him than meets the eye. At the Senior Bowl, Ballage showed off impressive speed, power, and most of all – decisiveness. He showed that he’s got a good burst and can get downfield faster than most people think for a man his size, and he also added value by being a reliable receiver out of the backfield.

At six-foot-two, 228 pounds, Ballage is large and powerful. He’s got 4.4 speed and put up 15 reps in the bench press. He’s got a powerful frame and plenty of speed to beat some defenders to the edge.

His stats at Arizona State aren’t eye-popping by any means. The fact that he had to split carries with Demario Richard for all three of his seasons in the desert certainly hurt his productivity in the run game. But, it also means that there’s quite a bit more tread left on his tires than somebody like a Royce Freeman who handled 250-plus carries a season.

Ballage can do a lot of things well, and has good size and athleticism – things that could potentially intrigue Gruden.