3 goals for Josh Jacobs in 2019 with the Raiders

The Oakland Raiders made a rather surprising move with the 24th overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft last Thursday, taking on University of Alabama running back Josh Jacobs.

Not only is it more common to use first-round picks on the backs unless they're really special nowadays, but Jacobs?

For some points of view, Jacobs only covered 640 yards in his first year in Alabama. Although he scored 11 touchdowns, his lack of production is not really what you expect from a first-round selection.

Nevertheless, Jacobs was one of three choices in the first round of the Raiders, and as Isaiah Crowell is now out for the season, he will likely have to produce no matter what Jon Gruden says.

So here are some early goals for the rookie.

3. Learn from Doug Martin

Due to his injuries, Doug Martin may no longer be the All-Pro running back, but he still knows what to do about how to play the half in the NFL, and Jacobs would be well advised to Learn from him.

At the moment, it seems like Martin will be the back seat of Oakland, so Jacobs will have plenty of time to watch Martin and see what he's doing.

With both backs of the same size and athletic ability, Jacobs could actually have the perfect model to learn in Martin, since one of the two players did not have the speed that escaped and depended a lot on his instincts and his cuts rather than destroying the defense.

One may wonder how high Jacobs' ceiling is, but if he wants to maximize his potential, he will have to be a sports student.

2. Rush for 600 yards

Along with Jacobs, the Raiders have Martin, Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington struggling to gain time in the background. It is therefore quite possible that Jacobs must share litters with three other backs.

That being said, there is no reason for Jacobs not to be at least one of the top two on the team, so he should be able to get closer to the total team he has realized during his last year in Alabama.

I'm not sure Jacobs will be half a meter behind, but in this modern NFL where clubs are splitting in the back, he really does not have to do it. He just needs to make the most of his playing time.

Martin, who totaled 723 rushing yards last year, is likely to be the most scorched player in the Raiders half-backs, but it seems hard to imagine him getting a ton more than Jacobs .

1. be effective

Jacobs averaged 5.9 yards per run over his college career, which is great, but the NFL is a different ball game.

We have seen a lot of backs scoring around six yards per attempt in the NCAA just to get into the pros and fight because the NFL's defensive players are faster, stronger and smarter than their college contemporaries.

Regardless of how many contacts Jacobs made during his rookie campaign in the bay, it must be effective. Let's say he should expect to have about 4.5 yards per race in his first season. It's a good number.

Again, no one asks Jacobs to accumulate 1,000 yards, and I'm not sure anyone ever waits for him. But expecting him to do at least his best to try to make the most of each parcel he can get out of is not too much to ask.