As Pete Carroll and John Spytek prepare to begin their journeys as head coach and general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders, respectively, one thing remains clear: Sin City’s offense needs a lot of work. That’s exactly why the team elected to make Chip Kelly the highest-paid coordinator in the National Football League, landing the offensive guru as the Silver and Black’s next offensive coordinator.
It’s no secret that the Raiders are in need of a new signal caller. Quarterbacks Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell combined for four wins during the ’24 season, with neither player displaying any real evidence that the answer is currently on Sin City’s roster.
While the above statement is certainly true, it’s more than fair to say these quarterbacks didn’t have the ideal pieces around them to make their lives easier. Specifically, Las Vegas had no presence on the ground whatsoever to better open up the passing game.
Simply put, while finding a quarterback of the future is most important for the Raiders this offseason, getting a player – or group of players – who can make opposing defenses respect the potential threat of running the football isn’t too far behind.
And as fate would have it, two talented running backs who recently won a National Championship in Kelly’s offense are taking part in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
It only makes sense Las Vegas will have interest in selecting one of the two in April. But which of the two makes more sense for Pete Carroll’s squad?
Reuniting with Chip Kelly: Adding an OSU back to the Raiders backfield
Quinshon Judkins – The leading rusher for Chip Kelly in 2024
Quinshon Judkins, who represents half of Ohio States’ “two-headed monster,” is a back-to-back-to-back 1,000-plus yard runner. The 6-foot back has scored a total of 45 touchdowns on the ground over his three-year collegiate career, totaling no less than 14 rushing touchdowns during any season.
As a pass-catcher, Judkins has amassed an additional 442 yards and five touchdowns throughout the past three years. These additional scores have made it so the National Championship winning back totaled at least 16 touchdowns in full each campaign.
During this past season specifically, Judkins was the 24th-highest graded runner in the country via Pro Football Focus with a mark of 87.2. The 21-year-old earned a grade north of 70 in nine-of-16 contests, including each of the final three playoff games he took part in where Judkins earned a rushing grade of 75-plus.
What to like
This is a back with vision that can only be described as excellent. His innate ability to follow his blockers and find the right hole stands out on tape, often being able to find the best path available to him.
Judkins’ balance as a runner deserves praise as well. Thanks to this balance, the 218-pound back is able to bounce off would-be tacklers as plays develop. Leverage wins, and one watch of the tape shows Judkins knows that well.
In addition to an unforgiven stiff arm, another trait that should be highlighted is Judkins’ ability to catch the football. During his final season in college, the first-year Ohio State dropped one single pass all year.
But it isn’t about his hands as much as it is about his ability to find open space and make defenses pay. Exploiting zone defenses was a specialty of Judkins’ during his ’24 campaign; a fact Judkins reminded everyone of time and time again.
Cause for concern
We aren’t talking about an explosive athlete here, nor are we talking about a player who’s particularly adept at making would-be tacklers miss despite his great contact balance.
For reference, Judkins was only able to take 14 handoffs 15-plus yards downfield. In comparison to his teammate TreVeyon Henderson, for example, this stands as four less despite totaling 37 more rushing attempts in general.
The lack of home-run ability is evident in the film. While Judkins does have a few runs of monstrous yardage under his belt, they aren’t anything that will make you stop and marvel at his downhill speed nor his elusiveness.
In fact, the elusiveness is another cause for concern in itself. Although Judkins has gotten past his fair share of defenders via football moves, they’re few and far between. For reference, the Buckeyes leading rusher evaded 35 would-be tackles this past season. That ties for 59th-most in the country.
TreVeyon Henderson, and his case with the Raiders
The counterpart to Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson is certainly an interesting prospect. While he wasn’t the guy who was called upon the most, he was the one who delivered more times than not.
This stands true in his team-leading runs of 10-plus yards (29), runs of 15-plus yards (18), yards after contact (496), elusive grade (100.5), and overall running grade (89.6).
Like Judkins, Henderson was also plenty active in the passing game. Over his last two campaigns, the 5-foot-10 runner posted a combined 513 yards on 46 receptions, scoring on three occasions.
What to like
If you’re looking for a guy to single-handedly give your team a presence on the ground, this is one of those guys. Like Judkins, Henderson possesses excellent vision, extending this vision to the second level.
Unlike Judkins, this is a back who possesses excellent big-play ability, in addition to notable elusiveness. Henderson is quick, and more importantly, is great at controlling his quickness. Change of direction, start-and-stop, knowing when to turn on the jets; these are things Ohio State’s four-year back truly excels at.
Henderson is adept at getting past defenders. It starts with his shiftiness and footwork that catches defenders off-balance before he turns on the jets and flies past the guys trying to take him down. If that doesn’t get him where he wants to go, his excellent balance at the point of contact will.
He likely won’t be juking anybody out of their shoes, but his twitchiness gets the same effect regardless.
Cause for concern
While Judkins is adept at taking advantage of zone defenses as a pass-catcher, Henderson is not. It’s simply not his game. That doesn’t have to be too much of a negative, however; despite this fact, he’s been able to catch 45 passes for 513 yards since 2023.
Availability may have been a valid concern entering the ’24 season, but after appearing in all 16 contests this past year, it’s notably less of a reason to worry. Still, one season doesn’t negate all concerns in this area moving forward.
Which back makes more sense for Chip Kelly and the Raiders?
For Las Vegas specifically, Henderson seems to be the more ‘appropriate’ back to give Chip Kelly entering the new year. While Judkins may prove to be the long-lasting contributor in a stable of running backs between the two, it’s hard to deny Henderson is simply better fit to be a team’s premier back.
In any event, the addition of either would undoubtedly make the Raiders better. These are two talented backs who, at this very moment in time, should have little trouble establishing a prominent role for themselves entering the 2025 NFL season should they wind up in Sin City this April.
*Top Photo: Eleven Warriors
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