Kansas City Chiefs: Can Kareem Hunt copy rookie season success?
By Hunter Noll
Kareem Hunt produced a wildly productive rookie season for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. Can he produce at the same level in 2018 though?
Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt wasted no time making an impression on the NFL. In the first regular season of his career, Hunt ran for 148 yards on 17 carries, while catching five passes for 98 yards and scoring three touchdowns total. Hunt proved to be no one-hit wonder in his rookie year, churning out plenty of dominant outings.
As his sophomore campaign creeps closer though, the question changes to if he can duplicate that rookie season.
The first thing you need to look at is the quarterback position. Hunt will no longer have Alex Smith leading his offense. Instead, Patrick Mahomes is set to be under center. While many will argue over just how good Smith is, there’s no denying he’s a veteran who knows how to run an offense. Mahomes on the other hand has just 35 career passes in the NFL.
There are plenty of reasons to believe Mahomes will be a great quarterback, but the inexperience could lead to some growing pains for the offense. That could translate to defenses zeroing in on Hunt even more.
For those wondering how Hunt fared in the lone Mahomes start, he ran the ball one time for 35 yards and a touchdown. Simply put, there isn’t much of a sample size to go off of.
In 2017, Hunt ran the ball 272 times for 1,327 yards (4.9 yards-per-carry) and eight touchdowns. Those numbers would be tough to duplicate for anyone, let alone someone in an offense with a new quarterback.
This isn’t a normal back however. The Toledo product also recorded 53 receptions for 455 yards and three more touchdowns. His ability as a receiver gives Hunt’s game an extra wrinkle. A defense can focus on a Hunt in the running game, but with weapons like Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs have more-than-enough to worry about.
Hunt also has to worry about the other running backs on the roster though. While he’s clearly the top back on the roster, players like Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West could steal some snaps. That’s not necessarily a negative however, as keeping Hunt fresh could make him all-the-more dangerous.
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Kareem Hunt faces plenty of obstacles when it comes to replicating the success of his rookie season. There seems to be an answer for each hurdle however, and that bodes well for Hunt, his fantasy owners, and the Kansas City Chiefs.