Since joining the Las Vegas Raiders in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, fullback Alec Ingold has developed into an underrated asset on offense. While it’s unfortunately very typical for fullbacks to be under-appreciated, Ingold deserves a lot more credit than he has received.
Raiders Year In Review
Ingold had an impressive rookie campaign, but his sophomore season was even more impressive. He doubled his catch total to 12 and has amassed 110 receiving yards. He also racked up three carries for four yards. However, like most fullbacks, his true impact isn’t visible on the stat sheet.
G-Lead with RG Gabe Jackson pulling. CB wants no part of Gabe. FB Alec Ingold cuts the LB, Waller seals the DE, Parker blocks down on DT. Jacobs finishes with power, same foot, same shoulder!#RaiderNation 📽ï¸: @Rholm22 pic.twitter.com/lyE5dkoQss
— Ramble Digital Mediaâ„¢ (@RambleDMedia) November 28, 2020
It’s plays like this that show what fullbacks really offer to an offense. This type of impact will never be visible on the box score, but when looking back at game film one can really understand how important Ingold is to this offense. Countless large gains by Josh Jacobs have been sprung by a huge block from Ingold, and he’s important in the passing game as well, with the ability to do things like this:
https://twitter.com/CJE_NFL/status/1308594734953312256?s=20
While it may not look like ’45’ did much on this play, it does show his role in this offense. He’s so excellent at blocking, but because of the weapons the Raiders have on offense, opposing teams often don’t account for him in the passing game.
When you have to game plan for players like Darren Waller, Henry Ruggs III, Nelson Agholor, and Jacobs, you’re likely not going to pay much attention to the fullback. However, Ingold is extremely underrated as a pass-catching back, and on plays like this when the defense forgets about him he rarely lets them off the hook.
Ingold has had an extremely impressive first two years in the NFL, and it’s an absolute crime he didn’t make the Pro Bowl this year. Speaking of that…
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Pro Bowl Snub
Unfortunately, we all know that modern-day Pro Bowl voting has become a joke. It’s clearly more of a popularity contest than anything these days, and that’s evident when looking at the fullback voting.
The weekly highlight for #Raiders Fullback Alec Ingold.pic.twitter.com/wHdv3iUmpo
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 25, 2020
How many fullbacks do you know that make plays like this on a weekly basis? It’s perfectly understandable that most fans don’t recognize fullbacks as much as other positions, and nobody expects them to. Nevertheless, Ingold makes these kinds of plays too often to rank ninth in AFC fullback Pro Bowl voting.
All in all, the Raiders have had some tremendous fullbacks in their franchise history, and Alec Ingold looks no different. The sophomore really is a Swiss army knife in this Raiders offense, and we’ve already seen the different ways Jon Gruden can successfully use him. We are very excited to see him develop more in 2021.
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*Top Photo: AJ Mast/Associated Press
