2020 NFL Draft grades for every team: Cowboys ace test, Packers falter
By Randy Gurzi
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs were in a great position at pick 32 considering they had no real holes on their roster. They ended up taking a running back, which makes sense but the confusing part was who they took.
Kansas City decided on Clyde Edwards-Helaire despite D’Andre Swift, Jonathan Taylor, and J.K. Dobbins being on the board. However, that might not be the bigger issue. Taking out who was chosen and think about the position as Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus (subscription required) brought up a great point when it comes to adding a running back in the first round to a team such as Kansas City.
"“Nevermind the value of a running back. Nevermind the replaceability of a running back. Those aren’t even what I want to focus on here with this pick. I am not arguing with who the Chiefs drafted here, either, as I’m a big fan of Edwards-Helaire’s game. What worries me about this is utilization. Having a first-round running back on the roster can lead to suboptimal decision-making — whether consciously or subconsciously. For Andy Reid, that’s calling more runs to justify taking a running back in the first round. For Patrick Mahomes, that’s looking to check down a little sooner because he knows Edwards-Helaire could make something happen.” — Mike Renner, PFF"
This isn’t to hate on the position, but something to think about. Still, Edwards-Helaire is a good player as is Willie Gay and Lucas Niang. However, they got the No. 4 running back with the top three on the board and both Gay and Niang have big issues. If it all pans out they look brilliant. If not, we probably still won’t know because Patrick Mahomes is so dang good.
Grade: B-