Raiders RB Latavius Murray 'getting all of the first-team reps'
Raiders RB Latavius Murray is getting all of the first-team reps and has looked powerful, especially in a scrimmage late in Wednesday afternoon’s practice in Napa.
Is Murray ready to be a 1,000-yard, No. 1 running back in the NFL?
“No question,” GM Reggie McKenzie said. “He can do it all.”
Offensive line coach Mike Tice likes Murray’s jump-cut move and how he can change direction. But the main thing, again, is the combination of speed and power.
“For a big guy, Latavius has extremely good quickness,” Tice said. “And when he gets behind his pads, he is hard to tackle. Smaller linebackers might be in serious trouble.”
Murray rushed 82 times for 424 yards (a 5.2 YPC) and two touchdowns, including an incredible four-carry, 112-yard, two-TD performance against the Chiefs in Week 12. He still averaged a solid (if unspectacular) 4.0 YPC when that game is excluded. With good size (6'2, 223 lbs) and great speed (4.38 40-yard dash), Murray has all the physical tools to succeed at the position. He even showed solid hands with 17 receptions on 23 targets. Per beat writer Jerry McDonald, Murray will be “given every chance” to win the starting job. According to ESPN’s Adam Caplan, a Raiders source said that Murray is “freak” and has a chance to have “a huge year” in 2015.
