Las Vegas Raiders select Georgia running back Zamir White in 2022 NFL Draft

The Las Vegas Raiders are banking on Georgia product Zamir White to come in and transform their running back room. After playing a huge role throughout his time in Athens, the former bruising Bulldogs ball carrier will be expected to do the same in his NFL career. That’s why the Raiders took him off the board early in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday night, picking him No. 122 overall.

In his three seasons with the Bulldogs, White accumulated 2,043 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns. Last season, White realized his dream of bringing a championship to Georgia, helping to end a drought that spanned over 40 years when the Bulldogs defeated Alabama in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Additionally, White scored the first touchdown for Georgia in the aforementioned title victory, leading the Bulldogs in rushing, as well.

Most importantly to the Raiders, White has the potential to become a formidable running back in the entire NFL. He was dominant at times at Georgia, and many believe he’s just scratching the surface of his potential.

A former five-star recruit in the class of 2018, White was the No. 1 running back in the nation per the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. The former Georgia star played his high school football at Scotland County in Laurinburg, North Carolina. White was the second-ranked recruit coming out of North Carolina in his class, and the No. 11 recruit overall per On3’s 2018 Consensus Top Football Recruits.

What NFL draft analysts are saying about Zamir White

Furthermore, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com broke down what Zamir White can bring to the NFL in his recent scout of the running back’s draft profile. The analyst believes the best pro comparison for the former Georgia star is Marion Barber III. Barber, a former fourth-round pick out of Minnesota for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2005 NFL Draft, had an impressive NFL career, accumulating 4,780 rushing yards and 53 rushing touchdowns over seven NFL seasons.

“White is a naturally powerful runner with a lower half that is hard to knock off-balance no matter how clean the shot,” wrote Zierlein. “He’s not very dynamic as a runner but is a two-way creator with lateral jump-cuts to avoid tackles and the power to run through them. He’s a wide-base runner who should excel in gap and inside zone schemes but his running style might not lend itself to a long career.

“He has two ACL tears in his background and is unlikely to play on passing downs, but he’s a formidable ‘thunder’ back waiting to be paired with a ‘lightning’ cohort and will give running games a chance to test the resolve of defenses for four full quarters.”