Kansas City Chiefs Laddie Morse

The Lazy Big Board: Chiefs Targets at RB

Ransom Hawthorne March 27, 2020 No Comments Gallery

The Lazy Big Board: Chiefs Targets at RB – since the loss of Kareem Hunt, the Kansas City Chiefs have largely made do at the RB position with Undrafted Free Agents, or cheap veterans. With in-house options of Damien Williams, Darwin Thompson and Darrel Williams, not to mention a few Reserve Future signings, K.C. could easily ignore the position in the coming draft altogether. If, however, the Chiefs seek to make an addition at the RB position, it will need to be a player with unique qualities. A few should exist in this draft that draw their attention.

Pick 32: RB/WR, Laviska Shenault Jr.

Colorado 6’ 1” 227 lbs.

Shenault has an injury history and there’s no getting around that. However, when he is healthy, few players, in college, more closely resembled Sammy Watkins. Shenault is extremely physical with sudden athleticism that leaves players grasping at air. Magnet hands that snare every pass in his radius. Shenault isn’t the most refined route runner, but he has all the tools to get open at will, especially against man coverage. He’s a complete threat who can house short catches or burn safeties for deep TDs. Chiefs will have to be comfortable with the medical, which kept him from showing his true speed at the combine, but he has the upside of a top 10 pick, which could be well worth the gamble.

40 Time

Bench

Vertical

Broad

3-Cone

20 Shuttle

4.58

17

None

None

None

None

Pick 63: None

After Shenault, the draft is more composed of true RB types. Those aren’t guys Chiefs should be taking high in the draft. Especially with significant needs at more important positions.

Pick 96: RB, Clyde Edwards-Helaire

LSU 5‘7” 207 lbs.

Slippery runner with fantastic agility. He’s more physical than you’d think, for a guy his size. Lack of size or above average speed, will limit his appeal, to teams, but he’s a really well rounded back who rarely fumbles. He could be a really good option in the passing game for K.C.. Despite size, he does some of his best work getting skinny between the Tackles.

40 Time

Bench

Vertical

Broad

3-Cone

20 Shuttle

4.6

15

39.5”

123”

None

None

Pick 138: RB, A.J. Dillon

Boston College 6‘ 247 lbs.

The Chiefs have the weapons on offense to force nickle and dime coverage, most of the time, but they lack a physical presence in the backfield to take advantage. Enter AJ Dillon. Dillon is a physical freak with uncanny explosiveness and speed, to go with monstrous size. He’s really tough for individual defenders to bring down and he’ll need some work as a pass catcher to reach his full potential, but he could be an excellent pass protector for Mahomes and short yardage back immediately. Dillon’s more of a traditional Power Back than a Zone guy, but he’s agile enough to fit in and add a true mismatch problem for opposing defenses.

40 Time

Bench

Vertical

Broad

3-Cone

20 Shuttle

4.53

23

41

131

7.19

None

Pick 177: RB, DeeJay Dallas

Miami 5‘10” 217 lbs.

Prototypical Chiefs running back: built low to the ground and thick. Doesn’t have top end speed, but he’s fairly explosive and has great balance. Transition from QB — to WR — to RB… has him still developing as a runner, but he strings together some really exciting runs. Dallas has a lot of special teams experience which is probably where he’d be playing for a year or two while he absorbs the offense and polishes up his game.

40 Time

Bench

Vertical

Broad

3-Cone

20 Shuttle

4.58

None

33.5”

119”

7.18

4.32

Honorable Mention #1: RB, Cam Akers

Akers has a lot of traits that would work well in the Chiefs offense, but he has bad ball security and needs work in pass pro. If the Chiefs believe those issues are easily correctable, he could be a great fit, but I don’t see them spending a pick on a guy who’s that bad at things that are really important to them.

Honorable Mention #2: RB, Benny Lemay

Small school players who bomb the combine don’t tend to get drafted. However, when you watch his tape, Lemay looks like a well rounded RB who operated out of the shotgun a lot. He may have just put on too much weight for the drills. The Chiefs shouldn’t spend a pick on him but… calling him after the draft would be a good idea.

With a relatively thin RB class, the Chiefs probably won’t be looking to target the position. However, if the board doesn’t fall in their favor, one of these backs could be the best player available. If that happens, Chiefs shouldn’t hesitate to make the pick, as every player can add something to the offense. My top two choices would be Shenault and Dillon.

Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne

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