Arrowhead Report Roundtable: The Kansas City Chiefs draft Clyde Edwards-Helaire
The Kansas City Chiefs' first-round pick in the virtual 2020 NFL Draft has come and gone. With the 32nd overall pick, the Chiefs selected LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The question was presented to the roundtable: what did you think of the selection? Here's what the members of the Arrowhead Report Roundtable had to say.
Jordan Foote: Sure, Clyde Edwards-Helaire may have still been on the board in the second round. There was also plenty of starting-caliber defensive talent left at pick No. 32 as well. On the other hand, should anyone be angry at Brett Veach for going out and getting arguably the best dual-threat running back in this year's draft? No. Upset? Perhaps. Angry? Not a chance.
Andy Reid's innovative offense will turn Edwards-Helaire into the best version of himself and, in turn, the offense could reach historic levels (again). If the Chiefs were to take a running back early on, this was the perfect pick to make.
Sam Hays: Clyde Edwards-Helaire is my favorite running back in this draft class. He is a hard runner, rarely fumbles, and has receiving ability out of the backfield. With that being said, they could not have asked for a much better group of defensive talent than what they were given. Kristian Fulton, Grant Delpit, A.J. Epenesa, Xavier McKinney, Jaylon Johnson, Trevon Diggs, Zack Baun, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Yetur Gross-Matos are just some of the players General Manager Brett Veach decided to pass on with his 32nd overall pick in favor of Edwards-Helaire, despite the major defensive needs and limited draft capital to work with. The Chiefs have plenty of work cut out for them over the next two days to patch up some of their biggest holes heading into 2020.
Mark Van Sickle: I wasn’t shocked the Chiefs took an RB in the first round. However, seeing them take the first RB off the board and it being Edwards-Helaire was different. Edwards-Helaire must be the game-changing RB Veach and Reid envisioned in this offense heading into draft night. While I thought Swift would be the pick, I am not an NFL general manager or head coach. I trust their judgment. Plus, giving Patrick Mahomes a type of weapon out of the backfield they haven’t had to this point, and having him on a rookie deal for five years, is exciting! I still would have preferred a trade back, but it sounds like that wasn’t an option as teams weren’t calling to get back into the first round. Reid and Veach got the offensive toy they wanted and thought would be a perfect fit for their Super Bowl champion team. Let’s roll.
Conner Christopherson: If it had to be a running back, at least it was Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The LSU product jumps off the screen anytime one watches LSU with his sudden jump cuts and contact balance. Edwards-Helaire lined up at wide receiver 35% of the time in 2019 for LSU. In the last five years, only Christian McCaffrey lined up as a wide receiver more, at 38% of the time in college. The data supports the tape as Edwards-Helaire possesses natural hands and has the innate route-running ability to line up in a slot and take advantage of linebackers who have no chance at covering him. It's a tough pill to swallow with so much defensive talent on the board, but if Andy Reid says Edwards-Helaire looks better than Brian Westbrook, then it just might be worth it.
