Kansas City Chiefs: Rookie expectations for Darwin Thompson

The Kansas City Chiefs selected Darwin Thompson in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and it was arguably the most exciting pick this year for the franchise. What can the Utah State product provide in 2019?

A year ago, running back wouldn’t have even been on the map when it came to what the Kansas City Chiefs needed to address in the draft. Unfortunate circumstances resulted in the Chiefs having to release Kareem Hunt and start anew at the running back position.

Fortunately, Damien Williams stepped up in 2018, being rewarded with a two-year extension in the process. With Hunt and Spencer Ware elsewhere in 2019, Williams is the guy moving forward, but he’s not the long-term answer.

Could this be where Darwin Thompson steps in?

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The Kansas City Chiefs spent their 214th pick on Thompson, who spent just one year at Utah State before declaring for the NFL Draft and hearing his name called. Yes, the Aggie played at a smaller school (Utah State is in the Mountain West Conference), but he sure packed a punch while playing for them.

In his one year at Utah State, Thompson rushed for 1,044 yards off of 153 carries while finding the end zone a whopping 14 times. He also was electric in the receiving game, hauling in 23 passes for 351 yards and two touchdowns.

Thompson’s ability to catch balls and make plays after the catch is what makes him attractive to Andy Reid and the rest of the offensive minds on the Chiefs staff. That’s the Chiefs’ bread and butter on offense and one would be foolish not to think Reid isn’t going to get this kid involved in both the running and the passing game.

As I mentioned above, Williams is likely the starting running back barring something drastic, but could Thompson work his way into the number two option at the position?

Carlos Hyde is talented, yes, but the Chiefs are his fourth team since 2017. He’s been a bit banged up the past few seasons and that could definitely come into play when the 53-man roster is being debated at the end of the summer.

Expect Reid and company to get Darwin Thompson involved heavily as a rookie. Out of all of the 2019 draft picks that the Kansas City Chiefs made, Thompson was my favorite by far. Maybe I’m just feeding into the frenzy when it comes to all of the hype surrounding the Utah State product, but this kid could be really special in a Chiefs uniform.

So, to sum up, my expectations for Darwin Thompson are that he enters the season as the third running back, surpassing Darryl Williams on the depth chart. He then makes enough of an impact that he eventually finds his way into the second spot behind Williams.

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From there, who knows? Maybe Darwin Thompson becomes the next big thing at running back moving forward. We’ll just have to wait and see.

What do you expect from Darwin Thompson’s rookie season, Chiefs Kingdom?

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