NFL Draft 2020 Scouting Report: RB Raymond Calais, Louisiana (QH)

*Our RB grades can and will change as more information comes in from Pro Day workouts, leaked Wonderlic test results, etc. We will update ratings as new info becomes available.

*We use the term “Power RB” to separate physically bigger, more between-the-tackles–capable RBs from our “speed RBs” group. “Speed RBs” are physically smaller, but much faster/quicker, and less likely to flourish between the tackles.

Our Quick Hit (QH) scouting reports are a modified/shorter version of our full-scale reports. On these Quick Hits, I look at a lesser amount of tape and write a shorter amount of flowy words – these are usually designed more for sleeper prospects that I want to get more acquainted with and if something really jumps out, I’ll go deeper. It’s just me trying to get in and get out and deliver the pertinent notes to you for your consideration and for review later if they start to make waves in a year or two.

I’ll do a chunk of these pre-Draft and then more after the Draft, going through the players that caught my attention in the draft (because of how high they were taken) or that I stumble across in training camp or the preseason that catch my eye.

Most of my notes on these Quick Hits will be short and sweet bullet points versions of our full-scale reports. Enjoy…

============================

The first time I laid eyes on Raymond Calais, I was immediately ‘at attention’. Looking at the pre-Combine prospects, he was the fastest RB prospect I thought I had seen in the 2020 RB class (from the eye test). He wasn’t getting a ton of attention as a draft prospect, but enough to get an NFL Combine invite…and then when he ran a 4.42 40-time it solidified ‘interest’ in him, but I was hoping he’d run in the 4.3s and really generate a buzz.

There’s just something about Calais’s tape that I wanted to study deeper because I loved some of things I saw ahead of the Combine. So, here we are to take a deeper look after his Combine.

BACKGROUND…

 -- Calais pronounced Caal-ayy

 -- Other than an unusual last name…I have nothing else to report from his background. It’s like he’s nearly a ghost. Nothing good or bad or all that interesting to report on him personally, etc.

 -- 5’7.7”/188

 -- All-Conference Kick Returner/Special Teams performer.

GAME TAPE AND RANDOM NOTES…

 -- 2019…split backfield with another RB, nearly a 50-50 split between them. Played in a spread, running QB style of offense.

Mostly rotated in and either took the read-option handoff or faked the handoff and then was a decoy or blocked…rare sweeps or pass patterns/routes/screens, etc., run at all by him in 2019.

Thus, you might notice a lack of receiving numbers in his career…I don’t think it’s a commentary on his hands, more a commentary on this run-based, spread read-option offense.

 -- I noted it pre-Combine previews and again after seeing many RB prospects deeper over the past few weeks – my eyes say he’s the fastest on-field RB in this draft, perhaps the single fastest offensive player in the draft. I have no science to back up that claim. I’d just say to stop reading here for a moment, and go watch his highlight tape on YouTube, if you are not already familiar.

No one has an acceleration and pull away speed like he does. One of the best looking ‘has an opening and is gone in a blink’ runners I’ve seen out of college over the years.

Anytime he has the slightest space he rockets through it in a way that defenders just are not prepared for. It’s a hard thing to explain. He punches it so fast that tacklers close in at their normal pace and then suddenly look like fools because he is gone in a blink…I think their minds say they have the time to close in and get him but then he just leaves a vapor trail…kinda like what Tyreek Hill does in the pros. You give them any space to open up and it’s over.

 -- Opponent didn’t matter. His offense didn’t matter. All that I see is – if he has no space, he’s a normal small RB running the ball into a tackle/for short yards. But if he has some space…he might take it to the house. He’s like a home run or strikeout baseball hitter. There are rare few runners like this on the planet.

 -- I don’t mean to paint him as a flimsy overall runner…despite his size (5’7”+/188), he benched 20 reps and had a 37.5” vertical and 10’0” broad jump. He has some power his body. He takes on tackles and doesn’t go down with ease. He’s not a bruiser, but he’s not a lightweight runner either.

 -- He had two top NFL Draft prospect O-Lineman to work with, which helped open up space for him. An advantage, but it doesn’t matter where or how – if he has a space through the first level, he’s potentially gone.

When he gets into the open field and players are sprinting after him…he just pulls away.

On tape, you’d see plays where some DBs seemed like they had the angle on him, chasing him towards the sidelines -- but then Calais just flew by them.

When Calais had a good start past defenders, and they turned to sprint after him…he pulled away like Secretariat. He is NEVER caught from behind, from what I saw.

 -- Hard to tell how good his hands are because he only caught 17 passes in 49 game appearances. From what I saw on his receiver workout tape (available on YouTube) – he looks pretty darn good as a receiver. He has a lot of Darren Sproles in him…we’ll see if the computer agrees in a moment.

 -- Character all checks out – humble, nice, well-liked by teammates and coaches alike.

Raymond Calais, Through the Lens of Our RB Scouting Algorithm:

 -- Led the Sun Belt in kickoff return average (28.5) in 2019 despite not having a TD return that season (#10 in the NCAA). Had several near house calls on those…again, if he has a seam he’s gone. 

 -- #1 in the Sun Belt, #3 in the NCAAs in rushing yards per attempt (7.6)…he has an astounding career average of 7.8 per carry. 

 -- Two kick return TDs in 2017…both in the same game. 

 -- 4 career fumbles, 1 lost fumble.

2020 NFL Combine data:

5’7.7”/188, 9 ¼” hands, 30” arms

4.42 40-time (3rd-fastest RB at the Combine), 1.56 10-yard

20 bench press reps (9th-best among RBs at the Combine), 37.5” vertical (9th-best among RBs at the Combine), 10’0” broad jump

The Historical RB Prospects to Whom Raymond Calais Most Compares Within Our System:

If Calais can be the Antone Smith of my dreams - if he gets the chance Smith was totally screwed out of by the NFL… I’ll be happy! I thought Darren Sproles…but the more I think about it – Antone is the better comp because when Antone got a seam he was gone, and he has the NFL data to prove it. The greatest breakaway/home run runner I’ve ever seen.

If you want to know how stupid NFL coaches are, go look at Smith’s career and highlights – no one ran for more long TDs per touch and yet could never get any touches or real chances. It’s sickening, and fuels me that outsiders can know more about football talent than insiders.

*A score of 8.50+ is where we see a stronger correlation of RBs going on to become NFL good/great/elite. A score of 10.00+ is more rarefied air in our system and indicates a greater probability of becoming an elite NFL RB.

All of the RB ratings are based on a 0–10 scale, but a player can score negative, or above a 10.0 in certain instances.

Overall rating/score = A combination of several on-field performance measures, including refinement for the strength of opponents faced, mixed with all the physical measurement metrics – then compared/rated historically within our database and formulas. More of a traditional three-down search – runner, blocker, and receiver.

*RB-Re score = Our new formula/rating that attempts to identify and quantify a prospect's receiving skills even deeper than in our original formulas. RB prospects can now make it/thrive in the NFL strictly based on their receiving skills – it is an individual attribute sought out for the NFL and no longer dismissed or overlooked. Our rating combines a study of their receiving numbers in college in relation to their offense and opponents, as well as profiling size-speed-agility along with hand size measurables, etc.

*RB-Ru score =  Our new formula/rating that attempts to classify and quantify an RB prospect's ability strictly as a runner of the ball. Our rating combines a study of their rushing numbers in college in relation to their offense and strength of opponents, as well as profiling size-speed-agility along with various size measurables, etc.

Raw Speed Metric = A combination of several speed and size measurements from the NFL Combine, judged along with physical size profile, and then compared/rated historically within our database and scouting formulas. This is a rating strictly for RBs of a similar/bigger size profile.

Agility Metric = A combination of several speed and agility measurements from the NFL Combine, judged along with physical size profile, and then compared/rated historically within our database and scouting formulas. This is a rating strictly for RBs of a similar/bigger size profile.

2020 NFL Draft Outlook:

He’s a 7th-round to UDFA projection, but his tape and his return skills and his Combine are going to get him drafted 5th-6th-round, I believe.

If I were an NFL GM, I’m more interested in a guy like Calais than most RBs in this draft – sure, he’s not a three-down guy, but come on…you could find a thousand Cam Akers but it could be years between Calaises. Calais has an instant, specific use right away…a potential game-changer in Week 1.

NFL Outlook:   

I want to say he’ll have a nice NFL career, but I’ve seen guys like this get screwed so much – the NFL coaches fancy themselves as ‘tough guys’, so they want tough guy runners. It doesn’t matter if Calais runs a 50+ yard TD every 3-7 touches, they’ll bench that for a guy who can really crack the pads in the interior…three yards and a cloud of dust. 

I pray Calais falls to the right team/offense and gets a real opportunity to shine…

4/15/2020