A Kansas City Chiefs fan’s guide to the 2019 Draft: The Running Backs

The Best of the Rest

So these four backs are all essentially “My Picks” of the remaining backs that I haven’t covered so far.

Rodney Anderson, Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s Rodney Anderson might have given Joshua Jacobs a run for the best back in the draft title had his career not been devastated by injuries. While at OU Anderson suffered a broken leg, a fractured vertebra in his neck, and an ACL that he is still recovering from. So needless to say, a team is going to have to take a magnifying glass to his medicals before they use any draft pick on him.

However, if a team thinks those medical red flags were just bad luck and that Anderson will be healthy once he is fully back from his current ACL, they could have the steal of the draft on their hands. While I wouldn’t risk an early pick on him, the Chiefs could certainly take a chance in the later rounds because Anderson’s tape is one of the most impressive you will watch from this draft class.

Elijah Holyfield, Georgia

Unfortunately for Georgia’s Elijah Holyfield, he is currently probably best known for having a painfully slow 40-yard dash time at the combine (4.78). The son of former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield was really productive for the Bulldogs last season. When I went to watch his tape his poor 40 time had me expecting to be unimpressed, but I was 100% wrong. Holyfield is a back with great patience and vision and once he sees the hole coming open he is able to power through it. He almost always gains positive yards and his powerful legs can drive a pile. While he’s not an explosive big-play back he plays faster than that 40 time would have you think. He bounced multiple runs outside but really makes his money between the tackles. He’s a good pass protector too and I think he’ll be a featured runner in the NFL sooner rather than later and that poor combine showing will be a distant memory. If that bad drill time causes him to fall in the draft he could be a huge steal for the Chiefs or whichever team drafts him.

Miles Sanders, Penn State

The final back that I featured last week in my combine standouts piece, Miles Sanders had a good season replacing the much more heralded Saquon Barkley. While he may not be on Barkley’s level, Sanders showed great agility and change of direction and has a nice combination of speed and power. While he may not run a lot of defenders over, he’s hard to get your hands on in the open field. He may not have been a primary weapon in the passing game last season but he did show a natural ability to catch the ball and looks like he could be a featured back in the NFL capable of playing on all three downs. It wouldn’t shock me if a team thought enough of him to draft him in the same range as some of the other upper-tier options like David Montgomery and Darrell Henderson but if he slides he could be a steal for someone getting a starting caliber back in the mid rounds.

Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M

Trayveon Williams of Texas A&M may not be the flashiest back on this list but he does everything well. Despite his 5-foot-8 and 206-pound frame, he runs with decent power between the tackles. I almost included him in my “smaller backs” list but something about his frame seems stronger than those other backs. He doesn’t have elite speed and quickness but enough to hit holes and pick up positive yards. He also is comfortable running routes and catching passes as well as being a good pass protector.

Since he lacks elite upside in any one area I wouldn’t want the Chiefs using a high pick on him but if the Chiefs wanted to add another Williams to their stable they could certainly do a lot worse than Williams who could fill a number of roles on the team.

Finally, let’s touch on a few other backs that are looked at as possibilities in the mid to late rounds.