Demond Claiborne

The Player

Claiborne is an undersized back who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. 

He ran the third-fastest 40 time among running backs at the combine. He doesn’t need much of a crease to pull away in the run game, after the catch, and in the return game. He can press the line of scrimmage, get linebackers to commit and make late cuts. He can make defenders miss in the hole. He’s an effective cutback runner. He uses jab steps and hesitation to shake defenders in space. He’s not a power back, but he keeps moving his feet, and he breaks tackles with contact balance.

Claiborne’s not built to carry a heavy workload in the NFL. He’s an undersized back who got knocked out of the 2025 season opener with a left rib injury and battled a shoulder injury his junior year. Ball security is an issue: He fumbled six times last season on 207 touches. He appears impatient at times and can be too quick to bounce outside or cut back. He lined up wide 27 times and in the slot 15 times in 2025, according to PFF, so he can move around in the passing game. He looks like a natural receiver at times, catching passes thrown outside his frame and in stride. He also dropped eight passes in 2025 and focus drops are a big part of the problem, as is his small catching radius. 

He’s a competitive pass blocker who isn’t afraid to stick his face in the fan. He locates assignments, launches into defenders, cuts the legs out from under defenders, and flashes a strong punch. The problem is his frame. He struggles to anchor at times. Scouts have expressed concerns about his maturity and ability to control his emotions in the past. He appeared to lose his cool when he spiked the ball after dropping a pass against North Carolina last season.  

The Draft 

Claiborne is one of the 10 best backs in this class and a mid-round prospect. He would be the first Wake Forest back drafted since the Jets selected Tommy Bohanon in the seventh round in 2013, and just the second Wake Forest back drafted since 2004. 

The Projection

Claiborne is unlikely to develop into a team’s primary ballcarrier, but he has the skill set to develop into an excellent complementary back. There are backs that ran as well as Claiborne and didn’t reach their upside in the NFL and he carries a mid-round grade for a reason. De’Von Achane, a 2023 third-round pick, is an optimistic comparison. Achane is faster than Claiborne, but both players are explosive and possess similar frames.