Explosive Jordan Mason

I thought this thread was about lettuce...

Hopefully Mason can stay healthy. I think he's RB1 this year. And a RB tandem of Mason and Claiborne would appeal to my sense of balance a little better than a Jones and Claiborne tandem. Claiborne beating out Zavier Scott might be a little optimistic for the rookie, but he offers so more of a game-breaking element than Scott does.

MaroonBells wrote:

Hopefully Mason can stay healthy. I think he's RB1 this year. And a RB tandem of Mason and Claiborne would appeal to my sense of balance a little better than a Jones and Claiborne tandem. Claiborne beating out Zavier Scott might be a little optimistic for the rookie, but he offers so more of a game-breaking element than Scott does.

Claiborne has the same hang up that Chandler had, sucking in pass pro. Also the added excitement of sketchy ball security at times give him plenty to prove/improve on in his rookie training camp. Would like to see him work out, but not sure if he will be ready for a 1B roll like we could get from Jones or perhaps Scott.

JimmyinSD wrote:

Claiborne has the same hang up that Chandler had, sucking in pass pro. Also the added excitement of sketchy ball security at times give him plenty to prove/improve on in his rookie training camp. Would like to see him work out, but not sure if he will be ready for a 1B roll like we could get from Jones or perhaps Scott.

Nobody's sure about anything with Claiborne. We'll just have to see how well he takes to NFL pass blocking. He's a smaller guy but there have been plenty of small backs who did well as pass blockers. His path to playing time is also complicated by the fact that Zavier Scott is considered fairly capable in pass pro. It might be a situation where he's used only in packages where Bredeson is in the backfield.

MaroonBells wrote:

Nobody's sure about anything with Claiborne. We'll just have to see how well he takes to NFL pass blocking. He's a smaller guy but there have been plenty of small backs who did well as pass blockers. His path to playing time is also complicated by the fact that Zavier Scott is considered fairly capable in pass pro. It might be a situation where he's used only in packages where Bredeson is in the backfield.

my comments were based on his college pass blocking grades and fumbling stats, until the kid proves he has improved, it remains a viable concern IMO. Now in fairness, I didnt watch his games, maybe his fumbles were not carelessness, and/or beyond his control ( game conditions, ets) and maybe he was letting the QB take hits in no win situations and it gets put on him... but thats what we have to work with for now.

JimmyinSD wrote:

my comments were based on his college pass blocking grades and fumbling stats, until the kid proves he has improved, it remains a viable concern IMO. Now in fairness, I didnt watch his games, maybe his fumbles were not carelessness, and/or beyond his control ( game conditions, ets) and maybe he was letting the QB take hits in no win situations and it gets put on him... but thats what we have to work with for now.

Fumbling is a bigger problem for Claiborne than pass blocking. While it’s true his pass blocking numbers in 2025 were substandard, if you take both 2024 and 2025 together, his pass blocking effectiveness ranked 1st among the backs taken in the 2026 draft.

Wake Forest used Claiborne in protection packages in 2024 and he excelled there. In 159 attempts, he graded 66.2 as a pass blocker, which is a remarkable grade. In 2025 they started using him more out of the backfield, in the slot and running routes, so his pass blocking attempts went from 159 to 42 according to AI.

I'm guessing the variety in where he lined up led to a dip in his effectiveness. But I think it’s clear he can pass block given the right situation.