Raheim Sanders was a three-sport athlete back in his high school days, participating in football, basketball, and track. Now, he’s been fully committed to football, preparing to throw his name into the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. Let’s take a look at his player profile and see if he might have what it takes to succeed at the next level.
Height: 6 ft – 0 in
Weight: 217 lb
Age: 22
Position: Running Back
College: South Carolina
College Career Summary:
It didn’t take long for Raheim Sanders to find a place in college. As a freshman, he was playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks, appearing in all 13 games that they played that season but not getting credited with a start. Throughout his season with the school, he rushed for 578 yards and five touchdowns in a very limited role. The following season, that role definitely increased by a large margin. He started in all 13 games as a sophomore with Arkansas, rushing 222 times for 1,443 yards and d10 touchdowns. He also had career highs in receptions and receiving touchdowns. It was an excellent campaign for Sanders who thrived in his role. Unfortunately, that success didn’t carry over in his junior season. He started in five games and played in six but had just 209 rushing yards with two touchdowns before missing the remainder of the season. It was at the end of this season that he announced he’d be hitting the transfer portal, taking his talents over to the South Carolina Gamecocks. In this most recent season, Sanders started in 11 out of 12 games while rushing for 881 yards and 11 touchdowns while adding two receiving touchdowns on top of that. With all of that being said, Sanders will be heading into the NFL with those seasons under his belt, a selection to the First-Team All-SEC squad, and the Second-Team All-SEC squad.
2024 Season
Games Played: 12
Yards: 881 rushing, 316 receiving
Touchdowns: 11 rushing, two receiving
Career Stats:
- 44 games played
- 3,111 rushing yards
- 33 total touchdowns
- 581 rush attempts
- 76 receptions
Passing/Rushing/Receiving/Defensive Metrics:
- 4 yards per carry throughout his career
- 1 yards per reception throughout his career
- 771 career receiving yards
Strengths:
- Distinctive running approach that makes his moves unpredictable
- Unbelievable contact balance and dominant frame
- Patience and decision-making blend together beautifully
- Natural hands in the passing game, ability to adjust to off-target throws
- Surprisingly strong agility in tight spaces
- Explosive in the open field
Weaknesses:
- Struggles to string together multiple elusive moves
- Route tree is limited, very simple pass-catching talents
- Ball security has become a concern
- Gravitates towards the contact, too often at times
High Pressure Situations/Clutch Gene:
We certainly haven’t seen much of Raheim Sanders in big games and high-pressure situations. However, he’s participated well in some different ranked competitions. For example, as a freshman with Arkansas, he competed with Penn State in the Outback Bowl, rushing 13 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns in a two-score victory. Fast forward to this most recent season with South Carolina, and he rushed 20 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns in a dominant win against the 10th-ranked Texas A&M squad. He also had 19 rushes for 143 yards and two touchdowns against the 16th-ranked LSU team, though they lost that game. But with the good, comes the bad. Against 12th-ranked Clemson, he had just 18 carries for 60 scoreless yards and a fumble lost. All in all, Sanders has had several very strong games against ranked competitions, but he’s also had a couple of down games that he would like to put behind him. This is especially true regarding his fumbling issue, with him losing two fumbles in ranked contests in 2024 alone.
NFL Projection And Fantasy Relevance:
When it comes to Sanders and his upcoming NFL Draft projection, it looks like he will be selected at some point on Day three. This means that we’ll hear his name get called at some point between the third and seventh rounds, though many mock drafts have him getting taken more towards the sixth and the seventh. This doesn’t mean that he won’t have an opportunity to shine at the next level though, it only means that he’ll have more work left to do if he wants to make his statement against the professionals. As for his fantasy relevance, I wouldn’t expect immediate usage in standard formats. He likely will fall into the later rounds of the draft, meaning that he, at best, will be playing alongside a committee. If that is the case, even if he sees the field, it won’t be long enough to warrant a standard-format draft pick. In terms of dynasty formats, he holds more value. We’ve seen Sanders put together great runs with his combination of speed and strength, plus he does have the ability to catch passes out of the backfield. These two factors are likely to get him on the field at some point, even in a limited role, making him a possible dynasty stash who could turn into something much more valuable down the line.
I’m a fan of Sanders and his game, though he does have a lot left to work on before he can be a full-time starter at the next level. If Sanders can develop his receiving skills before this upcoming season begins, then he might see the field rather fast in passing downs, even if it is in short bursts. I don’t anticipate that to happen during his rookie campaign, though with all of the physical tools he possesses, adding receiving talents onto it would make it hard for teams to not play him. It is a downside that this draft is so full of talented running backs, otherwise, Sanders might be projected to go a little sooner than he currently is. Not to fear, this doesn’t mean that Sanders will never get an opportunity at the NFL and that he’s not as talented as the other backs. It just means that he has more competition than usual.