Oakland Raiders: 7 last-minute predictions ahead of the 2019 season

5. Josh Jacobs will accrue 1,200 total yards

It’s difficult to picture just how the Raiders will use the running game this season, but a sure bet will be that they’ll depend on Josh Jacobs to take carries. For this reason alone, he’s going to be knocking on the door of about 1,000 total rushing yards on the year.

Jacobs was selected with the 24th overall pick in this year’s draft. In his three years with Alabama, Jacobs impressed with his vision in finding holes to work through.

He never broke the 1,000-yard threshold, though he was limited in total number of attempts. It’s a similar case that the Raiders dealt with as well; a cast of characters took turns with the running game and it limited their overall numbers.

This year should be different.

Jacobs won’t have to worry about being juggled alongside other running backs that are held in the same regard as he is. General manager Mike Mayock has a lot riding on the success of his young running back headed into the Raider relocation.

So long as Jacobs stays healthy, he should get plenty of looks to try to work his way up the field and replace some of the physicality of Marshawn Lynch. The Raiders will have other running backs that might fight for carries, but it’s Jacobs’ role to lose.

As a three-down running back, Jacobs should be able to get close to that 1,000-yard mark, but he might not eclipse it.

To play a slightly safer bet, we’ll lump in Jacobs’ prospective receiving yards as well. In his final season with Alabama, Jacobs was a focus of his offense and caught an additional twenty passes for 247 yards.

Fans should be on the lookout, potentially for his utilization in special teams. At Bama, Jacobs got the nod to kick return on several occasions.

The Raiders aren’t afraid of incorporating running backs into their passing game, and Jacobs should be a capable receiver if they continue that trend. Between his chances in the running game and his targeting as a receiver, he should be able to safely place above 1,200 total yards.

It’ll be interesting to see how he responds to the heavy usage in the process of being thrown to the wolves of some tough lines he’ll be up against.

But Josh Jacobs has all the raw talent to be able to consistently contribute to a Raiders offense that will need to be at its best to take on this tough schedule.