Del Rio: Raiders RB Latavius Murray provided some 'explosive moments' in 2014

Latavius Murray exploded out of the gate late in the 2014 season and has shown no signs of slowing down.

He was running with the first team for the second consecutive day at the Raiders mandatory minicamp Wednesday, showing the kind of speed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds that makes Murray such an intriguing option to turn around an anemic rushing attack.

“You certainly saw some explosive moments, where he showed big-time speed and the ability to finish,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said.

“Right now Latavius has been running with the lead group, but he knows he’s got to earn that through camp, through the preseason,” Del Rio said. “We’ve added a couple of guys in Trent and Roy and we’ll give them an opportunity as well as with the guys that are here. We’ll sort out our different roles as we get into camp, but we like where we’re headed.”

Murray rushed 82 times for 424 yards (a 5.2 YPC) and two touchdowns, including an incredible four-carry, 112-yard, two-TD performance against the Chiefs in Week 12. He still averaged a solid (if unspectacular) 4.0 YPC when that game is excluded. With good size (6'2, 223 lbs) and great speed (4.38 40-yard dash), Murray has all the physical tools to succeed at the position. He even showed solid hands with 17 receptions on 23 targets. Per beat writer Jerry McDonald, Murray will be “given every chance” to win the starting job. According to ESPN’s Adam Caplan, a Raiders source said that Murray is “freak” and has a chance to have “a huge year” in 2015.