Players who have stood out in NFL preseason

#3 Chris Warren, RB, Raiders

Marshawn Lynch got his one noteworthy run called by in week one of preseason, but there was a different “Beastmode” in the building for the Raiders.

Chris Warren III is an undrafted rookie out of Texas, who touched the ball an average of 75 times over his three years as a Longhorns, stuck behind D’Onta Foreman his first two seasons and then as part of a three-headed backfield in 2017. His father Chris Warren II was a three-time Pro Bowl running back with the Seahawks.

While this young man didn’t quite seem to be on the same path as a three-year backup at Texas, he has made some noise in recent weeks. Standing at 6’3”, 246 pounds Warren has looked like a monster when he ran over Detroit’s 2017 first round pick Jarrad Davis in practice and has continued doing so in game-action.

In his first three showings, Warren has rushed for 250 yards on 46 carries, which leads the NFL by a wide margin. At his size, Warren looks a little like Bo Jackson in that 34 jersey and he is an angry runner. He has the short-area quickness to step around a blocker if he sees a defender cheating, can spin and twist out of the traffic around him and keeps his legs churning through contact, at times literally stepping out of the hands of a tackler.

Oakland has Marshawn, Doug Martin, DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard on their roster, so that backfield seems pretty loaded, but with how hard Warren has been running throughout preseason action, I wouldn’t be surprised if they let go of Washington in favor of the rookie. If they actually decided to let Warren leave, some team will definitely let him touch the rock.