Kansas City Chiefs: Running back not strong position of need in draft
The Kansas City Chiefs had some drama unfold at running back last season, but does that mean the position is in dire need of help this offseason?
With eight picks in the 2019 NFL Draft, Kansas City Chiefs fans won’t be surprised if one of those eight picks is spent on a running back. That being said, hopefully the organization doesn’t draft a running back until Day 3.
The running back position simply isn’t what it used to be. The old school days of football saw teams running the ball and playing good defense. Today’s NFL is all about tossing the pigskin down the field and once you have the guy at quarterback, most other positions can be ignored and winning is still possible.
What made me decide to write this article was seeing a post by Dan Parr of NFL.com who listed every NFL team’s top needs in the 2019 NFL Draft. They had the Chiefs’ biggest needs as defensive back, defensive line, and at running back.
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While the Chiefs didn’t have an ideal situation at running back after the Kareem Hunt situation, Damien Williams stepped in and did just fine. Was he a Pro Bowl talent? No. Did he do a decent job considering he was a third string when the season began? Yeah, I’d say so. The Chiefs did too, inking him to a two-year extension.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the Kansas City Chiefs drafting a running back, but if they don’t, they can easily find someone after the draft concludes. Phillip Lindsay of the Broncos was an undrafted free agent and he was a gem in Denver last year.
The Chiefs also have Darryl Williams as Damien’s backup and he was also an undrafted rookie last season. Running backs can be plugged in relatively easy and that’s why I wouldn’t consider the position to be one of dire need for the Chiefs.
As for defensive back and defensive line being big time needs, I’d agree with that 100%. The secondary was atrocious last season and the defense couldn’t stop the run if their lives depended on it. Both of those issues came back to bite KC in the butt in the playoffs, as the Patriots ran the ball down the Chiefs’ throat and made clutch passing plays when needed, converting three straight third and longs in overtime.
Next. Potential Running Back Prospects in 2019 NFL Draft. dark
Running back, however, wasn’t what cost the Chiefs a trip to the Super Bowl. Damien Williams had a nice showing during his time in the spotlight and while he’s not the long-term answer, the Chiefs could be in far worse shape at the position.