Raymond
Calais.
Raymond
Calais.
Louisiana· 5'8"· 188 lb· 4.42s 40
"Tampa Bay drafted Louisiana's track-speed returner at No. 245, and he returned kicks for the Rams and earned a Super Bowl ring before injuries cut his NFL run short."Pre-draft read
Calais was a running back and return specialist in Louisiana's rotation-heavy backfield, a 5-8, 188-pounder who was a state sprint champion in high school. His primary trait was speed: he hit the edge, turned small creases into long runs and averaged 7.8 yards per carry for his career, including 9.3 as a junior.
His secondary trait was kick returning, where he averaged a Sun Belt-best 28.5 yards per return as a senior. He was a limited receiver and a small inside runner who shared carries throughout his career. His signature was the home-run speed confirmed by a 4.42 40 and a 10-foot broad jump at the Combine.
Outside-zone offense with a dedicated return unit that uses a speed back on the perimeter and on kickoffs.
Year 1: kick returner. Ceiling: return specialist and change-of-pace back.
Power, gap-scheme offense that needs a back to run between the tackles and protect on third down.
His value lived almost entirely on kickoffs and perimeter runs.
Sprinter SPEED || Louisiana RB Raymond Calais Highlights
His Louisiana career as a runner and returner.
4.28 40 Raymond Calais
A pre-draft speed workout.
With the 245th pick the Bucs select Raymond Calais!
Draft-day selection by Tampa Bay.
Calais projected as a speed-first return specialist whose size and limited workload made him a late-round special teams bet. Evaluators liked his burst, big-play ability and return production, but questioned whether he could handle NFL carries or contribute as a receiver.
He shared Louisiana's backfield for four seasons, rushing for 1,845 yards and 15 touchdowns on only 236 carries, a 7.8-yard average. As a junior he ran for 754 yards and seven touchdowns at 9.3 yards per carry, and as a senior he ran for 886 yards and six touchdowns while averaging a Sun Belt-best 28.5 yards on kickoff returns. He earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors as a return specialist in 2019. At the Combine he ran a 4.42 40. The flags were his size, 17 career receptions and limited inside running.
Most boards viewed him as a late-round or priority free agent returner. Tampa Bay took him at No. 245 with its final pick, wanting a designated kick returner. Head coach Bruce Arians had said at the Combine that he wanted a dedicated return man, and Calais was the fastest option left on the board.
- 01
Home-run speed
A state sprint champion who ran a 4.42 40, he turned creases into long runs and averaged 7.8 yards per carry.
- 02
Kick returning
Averaged a Sun Belt-best 28.5 yards per kickoff return as a senior and earned first-team All-Sun Belt as a returner.
- 03
Big-play efficiency
Ran for 754 yards at 9.3 yards per carry as a junior, producing chunk plays on limited touches.
- 04
Edge running
Got to the perimeter quickly on outside zone and tosses, stressing defenses horizontally with his burst.
- 05
Low mileage
Carried only 236 times in four seasons, arriving in the NFL with fresh legs for a return and change-of-pace role.
- 01
Size
At 5-8 and 188 pounds he lacked the build to handle a heavy workload or run between the tackles consistently.
- 02
Limited receiver
Caught only 17 passes in his career, offering little proven value as a third-down or passing-game back.
- 03
Pass protection
Rarely asked to pick up blitzes, and his size would make him a liability in protection at the next level.
- 04
Shared workload
Never led Louisiana's backfield, leaving scouts little evidence he could produce as a primary ball carrier.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.42sp50
- Vertical
- 37.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 120inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- 20repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Louisiana | 9 | 23 | 117 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Louisiana | 12 | 15 | 88 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 2018 | Louisiana | 14 | 81 | 754 | 7 | 6 | 69 |
| 2019 | Louisiana | 14 | 117 | 886 | 6 | 10 | 67 |
| Career | — | 49 | 236 | 1845 | 15 | 17 | 145 |
Season and career rushing and receiving from Sports-Reference, matching the Buccaneers' 1,845 yards and 15 touchdowns. 2019 kickoff return yards and average from Wikipedia and the Sun Belt.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
The realized outcome: a brief kick returner whose career was hit by injury.
Speedy return specialist who carved out a long career on kickoffs.
Small, fast back and returner who never stuck on an NFL roster.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Calais was waived by Tampa Bay before the 2020 season and claimed by the Los Angeles Rams, returning seven kickoffs for 152 yards in four games as a rookie. He spent 2021 on injured reserve and earned a Super Bowl LVI ring as part of the Rams' roster. He later played for the XFL's DC Defenders in 2023 and had stints with the CFL's BC Lions and the UFL's Michigan Panthers.
In hindsight the pick returned limited value for Tampa Bay, which cut him before he played a snap, while the Rams got a brief look at the speed that made him a draftable returner. The size and workload concerns flagged before the draft meant his path was always as a specialist, and injuries took away the chance to establish himself. He finished his NFL career with 152 return yards, a Super Bowl ring and a spring football career. For a player who was a two-star recruit, reaching an NFL roster on speed alone was an achievement, even if the return role never became permanent.