Late-round picks are like scratch-off lottery tickets. Is your chance of winning big slim to none? Yeah. But somebody has to hit the jackpot eventually, right? That’s what makes Demond Claiborne so enticing. Go flip on that dude’s highlight tape and tell me that’s not a scratch off worth buying.
Whenever I look at a late-round flier, I’m always trying to answer the question, “Why did teams pass on this guy 197 times in a row?” Sometimes it’s athletic limitations, off-field issues, bad medicals, or flaws in their game that cause them to slide. Ultimately, they’re available in the sixth round for a reason. Even the Minnesota Vikings passed up on them several times by this point. So what’s the “but…” that kept them stacked lower on the board?
Typically, I like a player to have either one defect and many solid traits. Like “good athlete, good production, we’re just worried about the medical.” Then all we need is one coin flip to come up our way, and we’ve got a nice player! If I can’t have that, though, then give me the opposite. Give me a lot of defects, but at least one elite trait that helps me forget about the rest.
Demond Claiborne fits into the latter category, but his burst and twitch are absolutely in that elite tier.
I loved Lance Zierlein’s pre-draft write-up on Claiborne for NFL.com.
Claiborne is a twitched-up, elusive slasher who can turn minimal gains into explosive runs. He’s creative in tight quarters, using lateral agility and sudden feet to escape trouble. While willing to run between the tackles, his lack of size and strength limits his effectiveness in that area.
His unpredictable nature — sometimes pulling runs off-track when profit is available — might frustrate coaches, but it also generates unexpected chunk plays. He projects as a middle-round, change-of-pace option and complementary back who can inject much-needed juice into a dull, predictable running game.
Zierlein liked that tweet, so I’ll take that as all the confirmation I need that he had him pegged for this offense all offseason.
I love the idea of getting this running game some much-needed juice. Still, if you’re approaching this pick with skepticism, I don’t really blame you. What’s so different about this guy compared to a guy like Ty Chandler, the last late-round skat back Kevin O’Connell took a shine to? Is this guy destined for a few fun preseason runs that never turn into meaningful snaps in the regular season?
If you have minimal faith in O’Connell’s track record of drafting and developing young running backs, I completely understand that. But what about new assistant head coach Frank Smith?
We just saw the Miami Dolphins develop another undersized, lightning-in-a-bottle running back with a profile that looked eerily similar to Claiborne’s in superstar De’Von Achane. Looking at the pre-draft evaluations on Achane, you see some common DNA with a guy like Claiborne.
Both had size concerns, weighing 188 lbs., with Claiborne standing 1 inch taller. Both had 4.3 speed, are elite in a straight line, and were touted for their twitch and burst. Achane had a better reputation as a fearless runner inside, making him more of an asset between the tackles. However, he had the same concerns about larger linebackers in pass protection.
I’m not trying to argue that Claiborne is the NFL superstar Achane is today, or even the same caliber of prospect Achane was coming out of Texas A&M. However, I think he could be the Kirkland-brand version at a steep discount. And if he’s Diet De’Von, then having a guy who was on Mike McDaniel’s coaching staff who specialized in maximizing this exact archetype of player should get you pretty excited.
Smith’s role as McDaniel’s OC is difficult to define because McDaniel was the architect of that offense. Still, he was certain to pick up plenty of concepts and philosophies from that system. For a running game as stale as Minnesota’s has been, that’s a welcome addition, particularly if it’s accompanied by a player who’s capable of being more than a serviceable complement to the passing game and could actually generate the type of explosives that could change the scoreboard.
Miami’s running game utilized creativity and diverse personnel to gash teams and create clear lanes for Achane. Fullback Alec Ingold was a massive piece of their offense, and they found increased physicality mixing in a sixth offensive lineman for added bulk against defenses unwilling to shift out of their base. That could be an interesting role for rookie H-Back/TE/Fullback Max Bredeson and could allow Minnesota to bust open lanes where Claiborne can let his God-given explosiveness really go to work.
All that being said, Demond Claiborne is going to have an uphill battle in training camp just to make the roster. He’s an exciting prospect, but with the Vikings tandem of Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones leading the way, it’ll likely come down to a position battle with former UDFA Zavier Scott for Claiborne to have a shot at the 53-man roster. Scott showed a few flashes in 2025, and Claibrone will need to clearly overtake him to secure a spot.
The biggest changes to his game will be adding bulk and becoming much more consistent in reading his blocks. If he can bulk up to the point that he can be even an average blocker in pass protection, that would go a long way to making him viable on gameday.
For a coach who runs as infrequently as O’Connell, it’s hard to imagine KOC exhibiting much patience for negative plays where yards are left out on the field as a result of Demond Claiborne not taking what’s in front of him. Both of these elements need to be cleaned up if Claiborne is going to make the impact we all dream of when watching his high-end plays.
But it’s a shot worth taking. Of all the Day 3 dart throws in this class, one could argue that Claiborne has the highest upside. You can’t teach speed and twitch as he has; you can teach the other things — especially if Frank Smith can put him in a position to thrive in Minnesota.
