"A lot of times people might down-look a smaller back, but some of the greatest backs in the history of the NFL have been on the smaller side," he said, naming Sanders and Walter Payton, who was 5-foot-10.
Claiborne needn't look far for proof or inspiration with Jones in the room, along with returning and once undrafted RBs Jordan Mason and Zavier Scott. Claiborne also doesn't need to become someone he's not.
He is a product of his environment, Aylett, Virginia — population about 8,000 — and moments that have tested him. His mother, a single parent, juggled multiple jobs to provide her five boys with opportunities they would have missed otherwise. Claiborne reflects on the time his Wake Forest running backs coach, John Hunter, threw him into the fire during a BPU drill and he "got messed up pretty bad." Claiborne took the punishment in stride, though, burying the tears in his eyes with laughter. From that day forward, Claiborne refused to be bullied, he shared. Contact? He became smitten with it and started "trying to smack people before they smack me and just playing the game how the game is supposed to be played."
Two mighty impressive college snaps epitomize the way Claiborne plays it.
The first occurred in the third quarter of the fourth game of his junior season, which was a 41-38 shootout loss versus Louisiana. Claiborne toted the pill 11 times for 34 yards before exploding for 60 and six points on his 12th and final carry of the contest, like a diet soda reacting to a tube of Mentos candies.
It's important to note the leadup to Claiborne bouncing an inside run to the crib. Ahead of halftime in that game, Claiborne's left knee got trapped underneath a pileup. Reactions alerted him to a gnarly sight.
"When I turned over, one of my teammates by the name of Walker Merrill looked down at my leg and started screaming. He's like, 'DC, your kneecap is dislocated!' And when I looked down, my knee was on the side. And so I started screaming, like, 'Ohhh, what's going on!?' " Claiborne retold, still blown away.
Then, "\[Trainers\] came onto the field (and) I passed out. I was out of there," Claiborne said. "I'd never seen that happen before in my life. They brought me back (and) popped my knee back in place. We went in (to the locker room), got an MRI, nothing was torn, and so they were like 'Hey man, it's up to you.' "