ALAMEDA _ Latavius Murray exploded out of the gate late in the 2014 season and has shown no signs of slowing down.



He was running with the first team for the second consecutive day at the Raiders mandatory minicamp Wednesday, showing the kind of speed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds that makes Murray such an intriguing option to turn around an anemic rushing attack.

A year ago, Murray was still recovering from a foot injury and was buried on the depth chart behind Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden.

Murray, however, isn’t reading a lot into his status with the first team ahead of newcomers Trent Richardson and Roy Helu Jr.

“It’s no big difference,” Murray said. “I’m still competing. I know I have along ways to go until the season starts.”

The Raiders finished dead last in the NFL with 1,240 yards rushing in 2014, a team figure that was exceeded by five individual running backs _ DeMarco Murray, Le’Veon Bell, LeSean McCoy, Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett.

The only spark came from Latavius Murray, who had back to back runs of 20-plus yards on Nov. 16 against the San Diego Chargers and the following week exploded for a 90-yard touchdown run in the first win of the season over the Kansas City Chiefs.

By season’s end, Murray had 424 yards on 82 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per attempt. In the regular-season finale, he caught a crossing route from Derek Carr and gained 46 yards.

“You certainly saw some explosive moments, where he showed big-time speed and the ability to finish,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said.

Del Rio has promised to restore balance to the Raiders attack and has long been a believer in a power running game. Free agency brought in not only center Rodney Hudson, but tight end Lee Smith, who excels as a blocker.

“We feel like we can move people up front from the tight end position and we have big, powerful linemen,” Del Rio said. “We feel like we have a commitment to (running) and having those people in place will give us opportunity.”

A sixth-round draft pick out of Central Florida, Murray averaged 5.4 yards per carry in college but was on injured reserve as a rookie with a foot injury. He considers himself a potential 20-carry-per-game back capable of joining the NFL’s top rushers.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Murray said. “I think any person does. I know how important it is. I know this is a big year for me. I know what I need to do to go out and prove myself. I hold myself to a high standard.”

The most important thing Murray has done is stay on the field. He hasn’t missed a practice and looks to be in excellent shape.

“The most important ability in a running back is availability,” Del Rio said. “You need to make sure you’re conditioned to absorb some of the punishment you’re going to take playing that position.”

Del Rio has also watched with interest at how Murray has handled assignments in pass blocking and receiving.

“I like to think I’m a complete back as far as knowing my assigments and protections, being a guy that can catch out of the backfield,” Murray said. “As long as I’m getting better every day, I’ll be just fine.”

The Raiders conclude their mandatory minicamp today aren’t together again until training camp, where Murray will need to prove himself all over again.

“Right now Latavius has been running with the lead group, but he knows he’s got to earn that through camp, through the preseason,” Del Rio said. “We’ve added a couple of guys in Trent and Roy and we’ll give them an opportunity as well as with the guys that are here. We’ll sort out our different roles as we get into camp, but we like where we’re headed.”