Oakland Raiders: Latavius Murray Poised To Shine In 2015

By Mike Pendleton | Aug 17, 2015

There’s a different feeling around the Oakland Raiders franchise coming into the 2015 season, it’s a feeling of optimism. With a young and growing Derek Carr entering his second season now getting two potentially big targets in receivers Michael Crabtree and rookie Amari Cooper, the passing game should create some highlights.

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On the other side of the football, Oakland has Khalil Mack who will convert fr om linebacker to defensive end and be a full-time pass rusher, which can only give opposing quarterbacks nightmares. So building a foundation with high draft picks such as Carr, Cooper, and Mack is a great step in the right direction for Oakland, but the brightest spot on their team might be their sixth-round running back selection in the 2014 draft, Latavius Muray.

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With all the rebirth in Oakland, Murray’s potential is just coming to light as well as his teammates, but there’s something in him when he runs, that makes you believe he’s going to be a special player. Maybe the optimism comes from the few flashes he displayed in 2014 where he averaged 5.2 yards per carry on just 82 attempts with 424 rushing yards and two touchdowns after breaking through the depth chart in week 11.

Maybe the optimism stems from much more, like Murray’s opportunity to shine in the limelight as Oakland’s lead back. Even more so, maybe there’s optimism because of those around Murray, like the quarterback and two wide receivers already mentioned. In a lead role, Murray has all the makings to shine for Oakland this season, while putting his name among some of the better young backs in the league.

He’s a little bit more than a guy who will fly under-the-radar in your fantasy football draft, Latavius Murray in just 82 attempts on the ground last year, showed enough to put him with the likes of Jeremy Hill and Carlos Hyde as young running backs looking to make the leap.

Sidelined by a concussion late last season, Murray has a clean slate of health and with Maurice Jones-Drew (retirement) and Darren McFadden (signed with Cowboys) departed, the way has been cleared for Murray. While he’s looking to come into his own, if Murray is able to make the next leap, he’ll also provide relief for Derek Carr who is also looking to make a leap of his own.

With Murray and Carr looking to take control of their own careers, they have the perfect opportunity to establish themselves as the faces of the Raiders alongside Khalil Mack as the face of their defense. He doesn’t have a heavy workload coming into his third season and with a supporting cast that is looking to form a more than respectable offense in the NFL, Latavius Murray is set up to do great things in 2015.

Next: Why The Raiders Are Ready To Be NFL's Darkhorse

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