The return of Rocket Sanders makes for an even deeper and historic 2025 NFL Draft running back class
Has there been a weirder track than the journey of South Carolina running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders over the last year? This time during the 2023 season, many were projecting Sanders to potentially be the top running back in the 2024 NFL Draft class. Unfortunately, things did not play out like many thought. Sanders played […]
Has there been a weirder track than the journey of South Carolina running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders over the last year? This time during the 2023 season, many were projecting Sanders to potentially be the top running back in the 2024 NFL Draft class. Unfortunately, things did not play out like many thought.
Sanders played in just six games during the 2023 season while playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks due to a shoulder injury. Even when he was healthy, Sanders wasn’t overly impressive. He rushed for just 209 yards and two touchdowns, while only averaging 3.4 yards per carry. It just wasn’t overly productive, which was quite a change from the year prior.
During his 2022 season, Sanders led the SEC in rushing. In 13 games, he rushed for 1,443 and 10 touchdowns. Sanders also averaged 6.5 yards per carry, also adding another 28 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver.
With the decrease in production and injury, Sanders posted to head back to school for one more year. He made an interesting decision to enter the transfer portal and explore options for that final campaign. Many expected him to land at a premier program, but strangely enough, the Gamecocks was the destination in what appeared to be a lateral move.
The NFL Draft buzz on Sanders has steadily died, now in the Day Three (rounds 4-7) range based on Spring grades that were out there. There was no national notoriety and once again, Sanders got off to a slow start in the first couple games of the season. It looked like it could be tough sledding for the rest of the season, and Sanders' draft stock could continue to plummet.
Miami Hurricanes star Cameron Ward has clear path to be the top quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft class
Miami signal caller Cameron Ward has chance to rise in the 2025 NFL Draft
Then the LSU game happened, and flashbacks started to ensue. We started to remember what made him such a hot commodity at one time. Sanders ended the night with 19 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns, which comes out to an impressive 7.5 yards per carry.
From very early on in the game against LSU, Sanders showcased some explosiveness that has been sporadic recently. He’s a massive kid at a verified 6-0 and 236 pounds, but that initial quickness is what has set him apart. Sanders doesn’t have much in terms of long speed but he does get up to that top gear in a hurry. You saw that against LSU.
One of the more underrated aspects of Sanders’ game was always his vision and ability to sort through traffic effectively. That makes him a very intriguing inside runner, either in a power or zone scheme. Combine that with his natural power, and Sanders should be able to create a lot of hidden yardage.
While his long speed won’t be enough to hit a bunch of home runs on the NFL level, it was still nice to see Sanders pull away from the LSU defense last Saturday. Once again, he gets up to top speed in a hurry and maintains it. Sanders looked healthy, explosive, and creative when he needed to be.
Sanders was clearly in his groove on Saturday. He was even making players miss in space at times. When he’s going well, you can tell by his foot quickness. Sanders played with patience, but was still urgent as a runner. The spatial awareness and overall quick feet was really impressive to watch.
In the NFL Draft world, we can be victims of hyperbole and recency bias at times. This Saturday was a great step for Sanders, but he needs to rebuild his resume. As evaluators, we are going to have to see Sanders stack some of these performances.
Sanders does appear to be holding some bad weight, and it would be advantageous for him to trim down his frame a good bit. If he can get back fully into form, this will be yet another great addition to an already deep 2025 NFL Draft class at running back. Let’s hope that this is a welcome back to Rocket Sanders, and the once lost draft hype.
