2017 NFL Draft: Will KC Chiefs Target a Running Back Early

The 2017 NFL Draft will answer some questions for the KC Chiefs and one of the big ones is what the team is going to do at the running back position. Will they decide to select one in the first round?

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com released his first mock draft of the season and he has the Kansas City Chiefs selecting their running back of the future. Zierlein has the Chiefs drafting Dalvin Cook out of Florida State with the 27th overall pick.

"Cook is a really talented football player, but he could drop a little because running back just isn’t a priority position like it used to be. Cook is eerily similar in playing style to Jamaal Charles."

This would be an exciting pick for the franchise and it would come at the perfect time. Jamaal Charles has had two ACL injuries since the 2011 season and it looks like his time in Kansas City could be coming to an end.

Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West didn’t exactly wow the critics during their second year as the main backs in Kansas City. Oh, and as for Knile Davis… That ship has probably sailed too.

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The point being that the Chiefs could use a new workhorse at the running back position and Dalvin Cook would be an excellent option for that role. He played for three seasons at Florida State and rushed for over 1,000 yards every single season.

Yeah, sign me up for that please.

Cook had 1,008 rushing yards during his freshman season in 2014 with eight touchdowns. He then rushed for 1,691 in 2015 with 19 touchdowns and 1,765 yards in 2016 with 19 touchdowns.

Cook can handle a heavy workload and that’s why he’d be a huge asset to the Chiefs should they draft him with the 27th overall pick.

Earlier on this offseason, I mentioned that Christian McCaffrey would be a good option for the Chiefs to draft too, and I stand by that. Zierlein doesn’t have McCaffrey going in the first round and only Leonard Fournette is taken higher than Cook at the running back position.

Running back isn’t the flashy position that it once was, but it’s still one that the Chiefs desperately need an upgrade at. They could have been a much better offensive threat had they been able to get any production from their run game.

Next: Best First Round Draft Picks in Chiefs History

At the end of the day, I’d be content with the Kansas City Chiefs going with a quarterback, running back, pass rusher, or a run stopper in the first round. The last few years they’ve made what fans would consider to be “weird picks” at the time, but those picks have panned out well.

I guess we’ll just have to sit back and see what unfolds in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft for the KC Chiefs.

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