Laddie Morse
The year was 2016 and the month was April. The date was April 28-30. The Kansas City Chiefs ended up taking one of the best players in the draft that they’ve ever drafted: Tyreek Hill. Just a few months earlier than that, at the end of the 2015 season, the Chiefs had visited the Houston Texans and beat them 30-to-0 during the playoffs… and if you’re having a hard time recalling that game, here’s a clue: a TD kickoff return by Knile Davis started the game. Right, oh now you remember. Of course, the next week K.C. lost their divisional matchup to the Patriots 20-to-27. So it was, season-over in any event. However, what came next in the draft will never be forgotten.
The Chiefs took future Hall of Fame wideout, Tyreek Hill with their second pick of the 5th round, the 165th pick overall. Now, their first pick of that round went towards a QB, Kevin Hogan, remember him? Me either. Perhaps even more important is the fact that Tyreek Hill was a running back with extensive special team experience: he returned kickoffs and punts in college.
The Chiefs later converted Hill to a wide receiver which brings me to the hypothesis of this piece is… could the Chiefs convert a RB to a WR again?
First of course, you’d have to locate a very fast running back who can catch the ball. However, if this is even a possibility, it could end up changing the way the Chiefs treat the first three rounds and that would be huge. Remember, Hill was taken in the 5th round, so if there are any speedy RBs (who are good-hands guys) who might be slotted to be taken later in the draft, the Chiefs could then focus on other positions of need besides taking a WR –> early on in the draft.
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Sean Tucker, RB
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Tucker was the first player in Syracuse history — yep, that’s where Jim Brown played — to post back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards and 250 receiving yards. Now, gaining 1,000 yards has been done by many a RB over the years — even back to back years — nevertheless, it’s the 250+ receiving yards I’m interested in here.
NFL prospect ranking service, DrafTek, has Tucker at 5-foot-10 and weighs 209 lbs. and another ranking service, CBS Sports, has him at 5-foot-9 and 207. The surprising stat about him is his 4.27 — 40 yard dash speed. Some have measured him at 4.33, but in any case, he’s fast and his tape backs that up. Tucker also has a 41.5 inch vertical jump to go along with his 4.27 speed. So, he’s explosive, or should I say, extra explosive.
Here’s a local Syracuse student reporter talking about Tucker’s performance in a game vs Albany that took place in September of 2021:
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If we’re comparing Sean Tucker to Tyreek Hill — which may be an unfair comparison — in 2014 Hill had 102 rushing attempts for 534 yards, caught 31 passes for 281 yards and that was at Oklahoma State. He also had 30 kick returns for 740 yards with 2 TDs and he added 256 punt return yards and another score.
From a site called heavy.com comes this quote about Hill’s time at Oklahoma State:
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“He was charged with punching and choking his pregnant girlfriend and received three years probation. Along with that, Hill also had to complete an anger management course, a yearlong program for batterers and pay a $500 fine.”
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Although many projected Hill to go untaken in the 2016 NFL draft, the Chiefs took a chance on him and took him in the 5th round. In 2015, Hill’s last year in college (while at West Alabama, where he transferred to) Hill played in 11 games and had 27 catches for 444 yards and 3 TDs to go along with 25 rushing attempts for 237 yards and one. Hill also served as a Punt Returner and a Kickoff Returner at West Alabama and had 2 TDs on 20 Punt returns and 2 TDs on 20 Kickoff returns.
Like Sean Tucker, Tyreek Hill did not attend the NFL Combine. Tucker didn’t attend for medical reasons, but he did sponsor his own pro day. Let’s be clear, Tucker is in no way Tyreek Hill, not on the field… and not off the field either.
Sean Tucker should be seriously considered. Here’s a great video of Sean Tucker’s highlights and I get excited thinking about what Andy Reid could do with a RB-WR of his skill level. Reid could call plays to get him out in space and get him some one-on-one opportunities. It’s just darn exciting. To see Tucker’s receiving ability on display go to: the 0:37 mark, the 3:36 mark and the 4:18 mark:
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With the Chiefs taking every conceivable advantage possible, it seems likely to me that this is one of Reid’s tricks, that he still has up his sleeve. With the value of Running backs taking a deep dive over the course of several decades, why not take advantage of that and draft a speedy RB late in the draft, one who has good hands and could become the next Tyreek Hill? Well, maybe not exactly like Hill… but who knows?
Here’s a Sean Tucker catch for a TD on a wheel route, a play we know Andy Reid likes to call:
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Of course, there are other RBs, who may have a lower round grade, who could also fit into this scheme. Here are the top five fastest RBs at this year’s combine:
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I’ve watched plenty of tape on Devon Achane and he’d be a great pick as well. The difference with Devon Achane (pronounced – A- Chain) is that he’s ranked 49th by DrafTek and 93rd by CBS Sports and those two slots are either: smack dab in the middle of the second round, or at the end of the third round.
The idea is for the Chiefs to get their man — a RB who can be converted to a WR — later in the draft so Achane may not work. Since Sean Tucker didn’t go to the Combine he may be a lesser known player so he could be had in the later rounds.
The freedom for Veach to take the BPA (Best Player Available) in the first few rounds is critical to the success of this draft for K.C.. Although I believe the Chiefs coaches are responsible for helping to make the last two drafts top shelf performances by Brett Veach, it always helps when you can relax with a fool-proof plan. In this case, that plan may include a RB late in the draft… one who can easily be converted as a pass catcher. We all know the Chiefs need to take a great WR in this draft, but we’ve just been stuck thinking that a WR had to come in the first three rounds… or they’re not likely to be very good. This plan turns all of that on it’s head.
What do you think? Could the Chiefs be planning a reunion with a Tyreek Hill clone of sorts?
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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