Raymond Calais Overview
Position: Running Back
Height: 5’-8”
Weight: 188 pounds
School: Louisiana-Lafayette
NFL Combine Performance Data
40 Yard Dash: 4.42 (unofficial)
Bench Press: 20 reps
Vertical Jump: 37.5”
Broad Jump: 120.0”
Raymond Calais 2020 NFL Draft Profile
After four seasons as Louisiana-Lafayette, running back Raymond Calais hopes to bring his game to the professional level. The 5’-8”, 188-pound runner is coming off arguably the best season of his career, recording 878 yards and six touchdowns on 113 carries (7.8 yards-per-attempt). Additionally, he added another 12 receptions on 13 targets for 82 receiving yards. All of the aforementioned statistics were career-highs, save for rushing touchdowns and yards-per-attempt.
Calais initially joined the collegiate ranks as a two-star recruit. Despite recording nearly 5,000 yards and dominating the track and field world in high school, he failed to receive interest from the top programs in the nation. After accepting an offer from Louisiana-Lafayette, Calais spent the majority of his first two seasons on the bench. He earned a larger role in 2018, recording 743 yards and seven touchdowns on 80 carries (9.3 yards-per-attempt) to go along with seven receptions for 72 yards.
Strengths
- Fantastic straight-line speed with home run potential;
- Great acceleration and hits the hole at full speed;
- Started breaking tackles and adding more physicality to his game in 2019;
- Makes dangerous cuts without losing speed;
- Only one fumble in the past two seasons;
- Has potential as a special teams piece.
Weaknesses
- Terrible blocker that can’t play on passing down;
- Small build suggests durability could be a concern;
- Not a threat in the passing game;
- Not a threat to pick up yards after contact;
- Doesn’t make that many guys miss in the open field;
- Only as good as his blocking.
NFL Comparison: Matt Breida
Teams With Need at Position: Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projection: 6th/7th Round
Bottom Line on Raymond Calais
Most running backs are a dime a dozen in today’s NFL, and Raymond Calais is just another handful of change. The biggest draw for the Louisiana-Lafayette product is easily his game-breaking speed. His 4.42-second 40 time shows up on film, and he has the potential to make big plays when in the open field. Additionally, he can do just about all the things that a running back needs to do to stick around in the league. He can read his blocks, make cuts without losing too much speed, and generally takes care of the ball.
Calais belongs in the NFL, but he probably won’t develop into anything more than an early-down backup. At 5’-8” and 188 pounds, he simply doesn’t have the frame to hold up in pass protection. This essentially means that he can’t play on passing downs, and his 20 career receptions show that he’s not a threat as a receiving option. Additionally, he’s not great at creating yards for himself, as he doesn’t break many tackles or make guys miss in the open field. Ultimately, he’s the type of guy that will pick up every yard provided by the blocking and can outrun the defense if he can get through the second level untouched. However, he won’t do much more than that and isn’t worth anything more than a late-round pick.
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