Oakland Raiders: 5 Over-under predictions for the 2019 season

Josh Jacobs: 1,000 Yards

With Jon Gruden as the head coach, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected running back Cadillac Williams with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2005 draft. He registered 290 rush attempts for 1,178 yards and six touchdowns.

Based on those numbers, Jacobs has some hope to reach the 1,000-yard mark, but unlike Williams, he never handled the lion share of the carries in college. Let’s compare the two ball-carriers in terms of workload on the collegiate level.

Jacobs registered 251 total carries at Alabama, Williams had 239 rushing attempts in his senior term. The latter came into the NFL ready to handle a featured role in the backfield. Looking at the Raiders roster, Gruden will likely use a committee approach with Doug Martin handling a good portion of the carries.

Jalen Richard operates more so as a pass-catcher than ball-carrier in the offense, he logged 55 carries and saw 81 targets last year. Nonetheless, we have to account for 50-60 rush attempts for him, which has been his range over the past two seasons.

If DeAndre Washington or Chris Warren III make the 53-man roster, we should expect to see Jacobs in a role that mirrors his collegiate workload for at least his first year. Until the Raiders move on from Martin, temper your expectations for the rookie ball-carrier.

Over or Under? Under