Raiders Roster Evaluation: Jalen Richard
The 2021 NFL Draft is now behind us, and that means teams across the NFL are in the process of piecing together their entire rosters.
The Las Vegas Raiders are likely no different before what could be a pivotal fourth season of the second Jon Gruden era.
That's why we'll be going over roster evaluations for the Raiders players and position groups to see how everyone's stock measures up heading into the summer.
We recently went over a running back who specialized in receiving out of the backfield in Theo Riddick.
It just so happens the Raiders have multiple running backs with that kind of skill set, another being Jalen Richard.
The second-longest tenured player on the Raiders next to quarterback Derek Carr, Richard has worn multiple hats since the team signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2016.
Richard has been able to be useful as a change of pace back, a primary receiver out of the backfield, and as both a kick and punt returner.
His rookie season in 2016 showed the energy he could provide off the bench, as he averaged 5.9 yards per carry on 83 rushes.
Richard also had his most prolific season returning the ball, totaling 708 yards on kickoff and punt returns.
That combination of production and efficiency led him to be ranked by Pro Football Focus as their second-best running back in 2016.
Richard's role since then has gone through a lot of fluctuation, with his carries and return attempts going down consistently since.
He did have a career-high 68 receptions for 607 yards in 2018 but had only 55 in the last two seasons combined.
If there's one thing you can say about Richard no matter what, though, it's that he's capable of filling a number of roles and he rarely misses games.
That health and versatility are big reasons why he's been able to stick with the Raiders the last five years and will continue to play in his favor going into this season.
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