Demond Claiborne

● Patient at the line and uses shifty lateral quickness to bounce from closed to open gaps ● Accelerates sharply off his plant foot to cut away from pursuit angles ● Goes from zero to 60 in a blink; defenders are late to recover when he turns on the jets ● Speed to win races to the edges; runs away from linebackers in the screen game (best on-field speed was 22.6 mph) ● Not powerful but runs hard and will spin off contact ● Fights the ball at times but has pass-catching upside ● Averaged 26.3 yards as a featured kick returner in 2023-24, including two touchdown returns (96-yarder and 100-yarder) ● Described as a “high-energy guy” by his coaches and someone who “matured” over his four years in college (NFL scout: “He rubbed some coaches and teammates wrong as an underclassman due to inconsistent emotions, especially with hard coaching. But his attitude was noticeably better as an upperclassman.”)

● Adequate muscle bulk in his calves/quads but lean throughout his frame ● Doesn’t have body type or balance to absorb heavy contact ● Tends to get bounce-happy and can be guilty of making too many lateral cuts ● Shows slight tightness in his hips ● Not a power runner between the tackles or downhill ● Ball security was an issue as a senior (five fumbles on 179 carries) ● Inconsistent adjusting to throws away from his chest and guilty of running before securing the ball ● Light anchor in pass pro; loses too many battles (Wake Forest often brought in its backup RB to block on obvious passing downs) ● Knocked out of 2025 season opener because of a left rib injury (Aug. 2025); battled shoulder issue as a junior (Nov. 2024)

A two-year starter at Wake Forest, Claiborne was the featured back in offensive coordinator Rob Ezell’s fast-tempo spread scheme and flexed to the slot or out wide in empty looks. His yards-per-carry average increased each of the past four seasons, and he finished No. 4 in school history in career rushing yards (2,599) and No. 5 in rushing touchdowns (26). A twitched-up ball carrier, Claiborne has darting quickness and speed to burn, which allows him to gear down, plant and hit the accelerator in unison. He is a competitive runner but lacks the power of an inside runner and is at his best on the move, when he can get defenses flowing east-west and set up cutback opportunities. Minimizing fumbles and drops and expanding his catch radius would vastly increase his chances of finding regular playing time in the NFL. Overall, Claiborne is a bursty athlete (both linearly and laterally) who can give defenders the slip with his violent cuts, although his size profile likely will limit his role and landing spots. He has the mismatch-creating athleticism and receiving upside to be a diet version of De’Von Achane.