D.Claiborne
This Vikings rookie has game-changing speed. Here’s what it could mean for the offense.
Sixth-round pick Demond Claiborne was one of the fastest running backs measured at the NFL combine in the past few years.
Demond Claiborne can still remember the moment he realized he was faster than just about anybody else on a football field.
He was a sophomore at King William High School in Virginia, fielding a punt with a habit he’s long since ditched.
“Now, if I let a punt drop out of the sky, that’s a big no-no,” said Claiborne, selected by the Vikings in the sixth round (198th overall) in the 2026 NFL draft. “But in high school, I kind of had a habit of letting it drop in front of me, picking it up and maneuvering. I let it bounce twice and I took it 90 yards to the crib. It was make two guys miss and run to the edge, Forrest Gump-style.”
Claiborne scored 37 total touchdowns that season. That spring, he joined the track team for his only year of high school sprinting. He won the Virginia Class 2 state title in the 100-meter dash by nearly three-tenths of a second.
“That was the year I realized the speed was a little bit different,” he said.
That speed helped make Claiborne a four-star recruit who committed to Wake Forest. He joined the Demon Deacons after scoring 47 touchdowns and leading King William to a state championship his senior year.
Claiborne’s speed followed him to the NFL combine. He hit 23.71 mph while running the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds. His speed at the 20-yard mark — 21.79 mph — was the fastest NFL Next Gen Stats had measured for a running back in four years.
Early in Vikings training camp, Claiborne’s speed has been impossible to ignore.
“You can see it,” running back Aaron Jones Sr. said. “Right away, just getting in and out of the cuts. He’s a special back in this league. I get to mentor him up and show him the way. I told him I want him to be successful, I want to see him go on and get paid and those kinds of things. He’ll be playing in this league as long as he wants to, but just got to lock in here and take care of the business.”
Demond Claiborne adjusts to NFL with help from Aaron Jones
Claiborne’s task in camp is learning how to translate that speed to the NFL. The Vikings’ evolving running game could give him an intriguing opportunity to do it.
Claiborne’s speed evokes memories of the explosive backfield new Vikings assistant head coach Frank Smith worked with as Miami’s offensive coordinator. In 2023, Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane helped the Dolphins lead the NFL in total offense while combining to average a league-best 5.1 yards per carry.
Kevin O’Connell hired Smith this offseason, and the Vikings are incorporating more of Miami’s wide-zone concepts into a running game that has relied more heavily on mid-zone and power runs.
Wide-zone runs work best when all the pieces of the offense move in concert. Offensive linemen need to work together to take on defenders. Running backs are meant to follow a predetermined path off the tight end’s hip, pressing wide and stretching the defense before surging upfield.
“If we can get the tracks right, if we can get the read right, at least the start of the play is right,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. “If we’re setting up blocks for those O-linemen on the second level, and then making the proper cuts and pressing the line of scrimmage, that’s really what you’re looking for.”
Those runs demand precision from running backs. Claiborne has been asking Jones, who is entering his 10th NFL season, for impromptu quizzes to make sure he knows the details of different plays.
Jones, for his part, reminds Claiborne not to be too hard on himself. Even veterans can make mistakes.
“Like, you see the hole, you go over and turn your helmet, and as soon as they see that, they know you’re [cutting] back,” Jones said. “It happens to all of us where, your eyes are going to one side, and you want to take it right now, but you’ve just got to remember what you’re trying to accomplish on that play.”
Why Demond Claiborne’s speed fits the Vikings’ new run schemes
For Jones, the wide-zone scheme is a return to what he ran in Green Bay after the Packers hired Matt LaFleur in 2019. For Claiborne, it could be a catapult to a successful pro career.
“Being able to get that ball outside on the perimeter, even just being able to see the hole, put my foot in the ground and get vertical, has definitely been something that I can see myself [doing] in this offense,” Claiborne said. “My biggest thing is, just keep my mouth shut and work. Whenever the opportunity comes my way, I just want to be able to grasp it full speed.”
Speed is what attracted the Vikings to Claiborne. If he can bring it to life on the field, Jones thinks it could change the offense.
“I was the same way when I first came into the league; I was hard on myself because if you didn’t know the play, you can’t play fast and play comfortable,” Jones said. “So he’s really picked it up. You see him playing faster — and he’s already fast.”
Strib
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
“You can see it,” running back Aaron Jones Sr. said. “Right away, just getting in and out of the cuts. He’s a special back in this league. I get to mentor him up and show him the way. I told him I want him to be successful, I want to see him go on and get paid and those kinds of things. He’ll be playing in this league as long as he wants to, but just got to lock in here and take care of the business.”
I've always said this would be the reason the kid can be successful, AJ taking him under his wing. He's got the natural ability you can't teach. Still has a ways to go, but if can mature, get comfortable and take on the mental aspect of the NFL and listen to Jones, well......might be giddy up time. I'm cautiously hopeful.
Jones is a special dude...I know they loved him in GB too.
I'll appreciate him here this year, probably his last
You're right Sticky, the timing worked out well for the rook.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Since reading that he dropped 3 passes in 2 days, I'm just hoping he makes the roster. He needs to clean that crap up because the Vikings need his speed.
RS_Express wrote:
Since reading that he dropped 3 passes in 2 days, I'm just hoping he makes the roster. He needs to clean that crap up because the Vikings need his speed.
He won't see the field if that keeps up. It is hard not to think about converting a 3rd down and he drops the pass at the most inopportune time
RS_Express wrote:
Since reading that he dropped 3 passes in 2 days, I'm just hoping he makes the roster. He needs to clean that crap up because the Vikings need his speed.
Yup, a 6th round, work in progress...
Hopefully they rear him right and he catches on (see what I did there?)
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
purplefaithful wrote:
Yup, a 6th round, work in progress...
Hopefully they rear him right and he catches on (see what I did there?)
Last year was the year to get a RB. That really makes me scratch my head. Personally, I think RJ Harvey would have been the pick if he were to get drafted where his projection was. Then I believe Watts was the pick and got snipped the pick before us. Which left us Felton.
Canthony wrote:
Last year was the year to get a RB. That really makes me scratch my head. Personally, I think RJ Harvey would have been the pick if he were to get drafted where his projection was. Then I believe Watts was the pick and got snipped the pick before us. Which left us Felton.
Agreed. One of my complaints about our former inexperienced GM was that he did such a piss poor job reading into what were the strengths of a particular draft. In an absolutely loaded running back draft class, what does he do? Trades for Jirdan Mason about a month before the draft and we bypass the position completely in the draft!
Canthony wrote:
Last year was the year to get a RB. That really makes me scratch my head. Personally, I think RJ Harvey would have been the pick if he were to get drafted where his projection was. Then I believe Watts was the pick and got snipped the pick before us. Which left us Felton.
If Felton turns into a Diggs 2.0 player on the field? I would be happy with that no questions asked. He's not that yet, but it's great to hear how much he's supposedly improved.
He was a McCardell guy, so he's got that going for him - from me at least.
Right now lots of fans are looking at him as the choice instead of a RB, and I get that too (in spades.)
He has a chance to flip that script some.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
purplefaithful wrote:
If Felton turns into a Diggs 2.0 player on the field? I would be happy with that no questions asked. He's not that yet, but it's great to hear how much he's supposedly improved.
He was a McCardell guy, so he's got that going for him - from me at least.
Right now lots of fans are looking at him as the choice instead of a RB, and I get that too (in spades.)
He has a chance to flip that script some.
I liked Felton, don't get me wrong. Just think it would have been Harvey for sure if he were there. I think Felton is really showing a lot. It kinda came at a surprise for me since he rarely saw the field last year. I am like damn, welcome aboard Tai lol
Diggs was widely considered a 1st round pick if it weren't for his injuries. It never really bothered me because they were pretty freak injuries. Not like it was drafting a QB at 8 with knees made out of wet toilet paper.
Keep in mind: this is a 6th round pick. Nobody is counting on Demond for anything. If the Vikings thought they were in a RB deficit, they would have drafted one earlier or even last year. This was a late round swing for the seats. Rumor was they swung hard for Etienne, but who knows? My guess Teasley will have a plan for next offseason/free agency.
I am not quite as high on Claiborne as I was after the draft. However he still has some traits that could make him special.
The speed will be his calling card. Currently at his peak right now I see a special teams player with 4-5 plays a game trying to use his explosiveness. He just doesn't quite have the hands, balance of a player like Achane, but he went in the 3rd round. It just tells you he is a rawer player right now. He has already received comparisons to Nwangwu. So I think we have to temper some of the enthusiasm here. Again though Nwangwu was picked in the 4th and we got Claiborne in the 6th. The concerns I had is he looked uncoordinated on the high knees drill during rookie camp. Then the drops. They aren't a death nail by any means.
In the preseason games here is what I want to see. I want to see him going out on short pass routes and catching the ball cleanly. The easiest way to get him out in space is the passing game. We also need to see him excel in special teams. I think he is a player you could pass through waivers but the hope is that he can do enough to show he can be a part of the team and continue to improve on his balance and catching ability.
Come back and tell me I was wrong in Jan but I feel like DC is going to surprise people. AJ is going to get hurt early and he will get his shot. You wont be able to ignore the speed difference between him and JM. And if Brandel and Fries man up he could be behind a very good OL.
Edit Post (mod action — author will see a notice)
Warn Poster
Suspend User (3 days)
The user will be suspended for 3 days and will receive an email with the reason and information about how to appeal.