Raiders' Zamir White Named Breakout Candidate

The Las Vegas Raiders drafted running back Zamir White out of Georgia in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Jan 7, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White (35) is pushed out of / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders have a plethora of young talent that fans are excited about as the Antonio Pierce era begins.

Running back Zamir White, entering his third season in the NFL, was recently named by Pro Football Focus as the Raiders' top breakout candidate for the upcoming 2024 season.

"Josh Jacobs was the train that kept on churning for the Silver and Black, but the engine will have to pick up without him in 2024," PFF wrote. "Alexander Mattison figures to be the starter for most of the year, but his elusive rating dropped 33.3 points from 2022 to 2023. Expect more of a running back by committee approach for new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who generally kept carries balanced in Chicago — that should mean more totes for White, whose 3.21 yards after contact per carry ranked 10th among running backs last year."

Without Jacobs, White will likely be the starting running back -- or the predominant ball carrier.

In his two seasons with the Silver and Black, White has largely succeeded in the role asked of him. In his first season, White had a limited capacity in the backfield -- just 17 rushing attempts on the season.

Last season, White carried the ball 104 times for 451 yards and one touchdown.

White was drafted out of Georgia in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. PFF touted White in their draft report.

"White is a violent runner with one of the best combinations of size and explosiveness in the draft class," PFF wrote. His no-nonsense running style helped him average 3.6 yards after contact per attempt in 2021," PFF wrote.

In his final season at Georgia, White ran for 856 yards on 160 attempts to average 5.4 yards per carry and 11 touchdowns. White helped the Bulldogs to an undefeated 15-0 season and the college football national championship.

Georgia has a recent lineage of talented running backs in the NFL -- Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and Deandre Swift -- to name a few.

White should benefit from playing on a better Raiders offense, too. The Raiders secured several contributors on the offensive line in free agency, as well as a plug-and-play Day 1 starting interior lineman in Jackson Powers-Johnson in the draft.

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