Who Should I Start? Raheem Mostert or Jarquez Hunter

Monday, March 17, 10:40 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders added veteran running back Raheem Mostert on a one-year deal last week in free agency, but ESPN's Ryan McFadden writes that the expectation is for the 32-year-old to be the team's No. 2 back and not the top guy. The Raiders could add another RB in free agency among the likes of Nick Chubb, Jamaal Williams, Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins, but the best path for the team adding to their backfield is to take advantage of a deep RB class in the draft. Vegas could take top RB Ashton Jeanty at No. 6 overall, but if they don't, there will be plenty of value options at the position later in the draft, including Iowa's Kaleb Johnson and Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Henderson and Judkins both played for new Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who was the Buckeye's offensive coordinator last year.

Thursday, July 10, 3:15 PM

Los Angeles Rams running back Jarquez Hunter was a fourth-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft after a fantastic final season at Auburn. This offseason, the Rams coaching staff is pleased with his attention to detail and the way he has picked up the team's playbook. "He's a young man that's very focused on making sure he's doing exactly what we need him to do in order for him to take that next step," running backs coach Ron Gould said. "And then I was just very surprised at how quickly he picked up everything." The rookie will surely begin the season behind Pro Bowl running back Kyren Williams, but Williams struggled with explosiveness in 2024, posting just two 20-plus-yard runs on 316 carries. Meanwhile, Hunter ranked second nationally in runs of 10-plus yards per carry in 2024. With Blake Corum struggling to make an impact last year, Hunter could be the favorite to win the RB2 role. And if Williams continues to lack big-play upside, we could see a healthy mix of Hunter as a change-of-pace back. If he's the clear RB2 in Los Angeles, he has potential league-winning upside in the case of Williams injury.