Raheem Blackshear

Raheem Blackshear (born June 5, 1998) is an American professional football running back and return specialist for the Carolina Panthers in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Virginia Tech Hokies.^[1][2]

Raheem Blackshear

No. 3 – Carolina Panthers
Position:	Running back / Return specialist
Personal information
Born:	(1998-06-05) June 5, 1998 (age 26) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:	Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pennsylvania)
College:	Rutgers (2017–2019) Virginia Tech (2020–2021)
NFL draft:	2022: undrafted
Career history
Buffalo Bills (2022)* Carolina Panthers (2022–present)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:	Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Rushing yards: 138 Rushing average: 3.9 Rushing touchdowns: 3 Receptions: 16 Receiving yards: 138 Return yards: 1,934 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
5 ft 9+3⁄8 in (1.76 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	30 in (0.76 m)	8+7⁄8 in (0.23 m)	4.53 s	1.52 s	2.53 s	4.22 s	6.84 s	33.5 in (0.85 m)	9 ft 4 in (2.84 m)	11 reps
All values from Pro Day[3]

Buffalo Bills

Blackshear signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2022.^[4] He was waived by on August 30, 2022, and signed to the practice squad the next day.^[5][6]

Carolina Panthers

On September 21, 2022, Blackshear was signed by the Carolina Panthers off the Bills practice squad.^[7] On November 6, Blackshear scored his first NFL touchdown in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.^[8] In the 2022 season, he scored three rushing touchdowns and contributed on special teams returning kicks.^[9] In the 2023 season, he appeared in 12 games.^[10]

On April 1, 2025, Blackshear re-signed with the Panthers to a one-year contract.^[11]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Rushing					Receiving					Kickoff return					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Ret	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
2022	CAR	13	1	23	77	3.3	16	3	10	93	9.3	27	0	19	513	27.0	66	0	1	1
2023	CAR	9	0	13	40	3.1	9	0	6	45	7.5	19	0	16	430	26.9	52	0	0	0
2024	CAR	16	1	15	80	5.3	27	0	0	0	0	0	0	31	791	25.5	43	0	0	0
Career		38	2	52	203	3.9	27	3	16	138	8.6	27	0	66	1734	26.3	66	0	1	1

Personal Life

Born in Philadelphia in 1998, Raheem began playing football at the age of 5. He attributes his early passion for the game to his Uncle Cedrick, who once encouraged Raheem to play football after witnessing Raheem dodging cars on his street -- a popular game amongst his neighborhood friends. Raheem used his natural dodging abilities to his advantage on the field, eventually becoming a 3 star recruit coming out of Archbishop Wood High School and committing to play at Virginia Tech.

Raheem is an avid collector of bottle caps, having over 500 unique caps in his collection. He has also stated that he can tie his shoes in ways that others cannot, knowing over 15 variations of shoe-tying knots. Raheem has 2 dogs, 1 cat, a Crested Gecko, and a Betta Fish.