Arrowhead Addict
FanSided

Kansas City Chiefs: Early round running back targets

By Lyle Graversen

Nov 5, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) runs as Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson (54) and linebacker Reuben Foster (10) pursue during the third quarter of a game at Tiger Stadium. Alabama defeated LSU 10-0. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) runs as Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson (54) and linebacker Reuben Foster (10) pursue during the third quarter of a game at Tiger Stadium. Alabama defeated LSU 10-0. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
November 5, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) runs against Oregon State Beavers safety Jalen Moore (33) and cornerback Treston Decoud (14) during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 5, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) runs against Oregon State Beavers safety Jalen Moore (33) and cornerback Treston Decoud (14) during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Christian McCaffrey

The other running back that you’ll see projected to possibly go in the first round is Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey. If someone was going to mock a running back to the Chiefs in the first round McCaffrey is actually the one that lines up best with that draft slot. That having been said, I’m not sure he makes a lot of sense for the Chiefs. That’s not because he isn’t a good player that will help an NFL offense, but because a player of McCaffrey’s skill set would be more of an offensive luxury pick for the Chiefs than one that would really solidify their running game.

Let me explain….

I think Christian McCaffrey is going to have a long career in the NFL as a Danny Woodhead type player. I think he’s a player that may have 15-20 carries one game and then the next game be used largely as a slot receiver and catch 5-10 passes. That’s an incredibly valuable player to have, especially in today’s pass happy NFL. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Patriots draft him and use him in exactly that fashion.

The reason I don’t know if he is the best fit for the Chiefs is because they already have Tyreek Hill and to a lesser extent DeAnthony Thomas on the roster. While Hill is clearly more of a receiver (and a lot faster) than a running back at this point I just don’t know if they need ANOTHER hybrid guy for Andy Reid to get “cute” with. They need a true running back that can carry the load and take some pressure off of Alex Smith and the passing game.

While McCaffrey would definitely be an added weapon for the Chiefs that defenses would have to account for, I don’t know how much better he would make the actual running game. I think you could get someone in the second round that was just as good (or better) as a runner between the tackles (just without the “gadget” upside). So I’d rather draft a different position in the first round and take a true running back in the second round. That having been said, if Andy Reid loves the guy and thinks he can be huge in his offense I wouldn’t hate the pick.

Now let’s look at a couple of second round options.

Home/Kansas City Chiefs News