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Predicting the short-term and long-term impact of Chiefs rookie class

By Sterling Holmes

STARKVILLE, MS - SEPTEMBER 21: Linebacker Willie Gay Jr. #6 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs tackles running back Kavosiey Smoke #20 of the Kentucky Wildcats during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - SEPTEMBER 21: Linebacker Willie Gay Jr. #6 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs tackles running back Kavosiey Smoke #20 of the Kentucky Wildcats during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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Kansas City Chiefs, Clyde Edwards-Helaire
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 13: Clyde Edwards-Helaire #22 of the LSU Tigers makes a move on Denzel Johnson #14 of the Clemson Tigers during the fourth quarter of the College Football Playoff National Championship game at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The LSU Tigers topped the Clemson Tigers, 42-25. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

A closer look at the Kansas City Chiefs rookies and their impact for 2020 and beyond.

We are all getting extremely excited for this upcoming season as the Kansas City Chiefs. After watching the offseason financial wizardry with extensions for Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones, and Travis Kelce, this year and beyond looks extremely bright. The goal is to not just #RunItBack this season but to establish a dynasty for the next decade.

After paying all of these players very good money, hitting on draft picks becomes even more paramount. Let’s look at each of the drafted rookies and see how they fit in on this team and for the future.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire

I won’t spend too much time on CEH, because I think everyone in Chiefs Kingdom agrees he is going to be a stud—the running back of the present and future. As someone I put on my breakout list for this upcoming season, Edwards-Helaire has all of the tools to become a bell cow back in the NFL. With Damien Williams opting out this season, this gives Edwards-Helaire an even bigger opportunity to take the lead role and run with it.

While I originally thought that it would be a fairly even split between Edwards-Helaire and Williams, I now expect to see CEH receive 65 percent or more of backfield touches. While rookies traditionally don’t receive a lot of playing time in Andy Reid’s complex schemes, we saw that stud youngsters that learn the system quickly can break the norm (Juan Thornhill).

Given that CEH is not only good running the ball but equally good at catching it, the last step is picking up pass protections to protect Mahomes. If he can do this, even with Reid typically employing a time-share at running back recently, he should have a stranglehold on the position—in the present and the future as well.

This Season’s Impact – Starter with top 5 potential for rookie of the year

Future Impact – Long-term star and every-down back for the Chiefs

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