Kansas City Chiefs: Early round running back targets

Alvin Kamara

If you made me pick one running back that probably is the best fit for Kansas City’s needs I would probably pick Alvin Kamara of Tennessee. Listed at 5’10” and 215 pounds, Kamara has been part of Tennessee’s one-two punch with the much larger Jalen Hurd. While Kamara hasn’t been a feature, 20 carries per game back, it isn’t necessarily because he can’t handle the load, but because the Vols had another extremely talented runner. It’s possible that this has actually kept Kamara flying under the radar a bit because he doesn’t have eye popping stats like the first three running backs I’ve discussed.

The real reason I think Kamara may be the best option for Reid’s offense over all of these other options is because not only does he have great hands coming out of the backfield, but he is definitely the best pass protector of all of the backs in this post. If you have paid attention over the past four seasons you know that the Chiefs put a high priority on their running backs being dependable in pass protection if they are going to be the only back on the field. I’ll admit that I wasn’t familiar with Kamara until recently. It was when I read the following passages from Lance Zierlein’s scouting report on NFL.com that I decided this was a player that I needed to research.

"Ascending, competitive runner who has flashed explosive NFL talent at various times over the last two seasons. A committed runner with excellent balance who finds yardage that isn’t blocked for him…….Very productive; 23 touchdowns in just 284 touches at Tennessee. Well-liked inside program and a team leader. Can play on all three downs. Improved in pass protection and squares up blitzers. Has lined up at slot receiver at times. Sure-handed pass catcher with excellent burst out of breaks to consistently uncover."

Tell me that doesn’t sound like a guy that both John Dorsey and Andy Reid would like to get their hands on. If they could land Kamara in the second round (I worry he won’t make it to the late second) it could be a huge steal and I believe that while he isn’t the future All Pro prospect that Fournette and Cook are that he may be a great fit to energize the KC run game and that he and Spencer Ware could be a good fit together.

Finally, let’s look at one last wild card.