A Vikings Add is Called “Twitched-Up” Weapon who Brings “Juice”
Pump the brakes on the De’Von Achane comparisons. Maybe that does occur, but there’s also the possibility of turning into Ty Chandler, a different Day 3 RB who is smaller and speedy.
Vikings add Demond Claiborne looks like a promising player. Not so promising to get the Jeremiyah Love treatment, someone who got scooped up at No. 3. Instead, Mr. Claiborne got drafted at No. 198, a draft slot that Minnesota moved up to acquire. Clearly, powerful football people in the Twin Cities think a lot of the young runner; as it turns out, they’re not alone.
Vikings Add Earns Great Descriptors
To begin, consider the draft analyst who attaches the promising football lingo to Demond Claiborne.
The scouting blurb arrives courtesy of the NFL’s Lance Zierlein: “Claiborne is a twitched-up, elusive slasher who can turn minimal gains into explosive runs. He’s creative in tight quarters, using lateral agility and sudden feet to escape trouble. While willing to run between the tackles, his lack of size and strength limits his effectiveness in that area. His unpredictable nature — sometimes pulling runs off-track when profit is available — might frustrate coaches, but it also generates unexpected chunk plays. He projects as a middle-round, change-of-pace option and complementary back who can inject much-needed juice into a dull, predictable running game.”
Before digging into the upside, consider an argument for the downside.
Claiborne is a smaller running back. He stands at 5’10” and weighs 195 pounds. The NFL, as you may have heard, is a rugged workplace. Injuries are an unfortunate reality for all players, more of a matter of when and how bad rather than if they occur. A perfect world means reasonably minor bumps and bruises, the sort of soreness that’s par for the course. Hopefully, that’s all that ever arrives.
His size (or lack thereof) does create some concern in this area; nobody is going to mistake him for Derrick Henry.
Worse yet, Claiborne didn’t grade particularly well last season. PFF gave him a 41.1 receiving grade, resulting in being listed as the 432nd ranked RB out of the 440 being considered. His 29.9 pass blocking grade is horrible. The overall grade, 68.1, is pretty good. Not terrible, but far from sizzling.
Consider, as well, that playing for Wake Forest means coming out of a good program, not a great program. Eviscerating the competition with Ohio State, Georgia, Indiana, and so on would be a touch different than Wake Forest.
Putting a more positive spin on things involves circling around to some of what’s said by Zierlein.
Being a “twitched-up, elusive slasher” is a fantastic description for any runner. That specific word — slasher — refers to super precise cuts on the field and not the handiwork of Freddy Krueger. Keep in mind that Claiborne offers elite wheels, clocking a 4.37 forty time. That’s faster than Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, and the great majority of players more broadly.
Likewise, the idea of Demond Claiborne bringing “juice” is an encouraging description for the Vikings. Minnesota hasn’t been committed enough to the ground game. Expecting the incoming young fella to fully cure what ails the Kevin O’Connell play calling isn’t realistic. Still, though, there’s something to be said for the spark of huge runs. A push in the right direction doesn’t hurt.
Last season, Demond Claiborne turned 179 carries into 907 yards and 10 touchdowns. Scoring so commonly is a nice detail. So, too, is his 5.1 yards-per-carry average. Being able to replicate that average in the NFL (a lofty goal) would be a tremendous outcome.
As a rookie, Claiborne should be expected to slot into the RB3 opening. Contribute on special teams, quite possibly as a returner on kickoff. He may then get worked into the mix as a runner who can gobble up yards very quickly.
Demond Claiborne is 22.
