The just-completed Raiders season was full of milestones and surprises. A trip to the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade, a 12-4 record and the ascendance of quarterback Derek Carr were the biggest headlines from 2016.
But an undrafted and largely ignored 5-foot-8 running back from Southern Mississippi turned out to be the team’s most pleasant surprise ingredient to a winning formula.
From the beginning Jalen Richard opened eyes.
He’s not tall, but he’s not small, either, at 208 pounds. And early in training camp he was showing the Raiders his tremendous burst of speed, great quickness and surprising strength in running through tacklers.
After being sidelined two weeks with a banged-up knee, Richard returned as if he’d never stepped away.
“It really reminded us of what we’ve missed the last two weeks of practice with him not being there,” former offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave told reporters. “For a while he was doing something spectacular each and every day in practice.”
Then, in the regular season, Richard proved to be a versatile and dynamic piece of the offense.
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He averaged 5.9 yards on 83 carries, 6.7 yards on 29 receptions and scored three touchdowns from scrimmage. He also proved to be a terrific punt returner, averaging 9.0 yards on 34 returns, with a long of 47. He also had a 50-yard kickoff return among his 17, averaging 23.6 yards.
As the Raiders go into the offseason, they now have a three-headed, versatile running back trio of Latavius Murray, DeAndre Washington and Richard.
Eddie Paskal of the Raiders website wrote recently that Richard proved to be the surprise bonus of the 2016 rookie class.
Wrote Paskal: “The man affectionately referred to as ‘Rocket Richard’ just made big play after big play for the Raiders. … (He) was not only the team’s second-leading rusher with 83 carries for 491 yards, but he had also established himself as the Raiders primary return man as well. It’s funny to think that seven months ago, most of us had never heard the name Jalen Richard before, yet now here he is, as one of the more exciting players on the Raiders offense.”
