Kansas City Chiefs: Four running back targets for 2020

Target No. 1

Travis Etienne, Clemson Tigers

Travis Etienne‘s had quite the collegiate career with Clemson. To this point, his Tigers have gone 38-2 in the running back’s three seasons with the teams, including going 15-0 last season en route to a National Championship.

Along the way, Etienne’s responsibilities have grown.

As a freshman, he ran the ball 107 for 766 yards and 13 touchdowns. Last year, he rushed the ball 204 times for 1,658 yards with a whopping 24 rushing touchdowns while adding a dozen catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns. And this season, he’s at 153 carries for 1,335 yards and 14 touchdowns while he’s caught a career-high 25 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns.

Dude’s a touchdown machine who’s increasingly adding to his game and improving as a receiver.

He isn’t the top-ranked draft-eligible* running back, but he’s highly regarded. CBS Sports ranks the 5-foot-10, 210-pound running back as the No. 48 overall prospect and No. 4 among running backs.

*As a junior, he could return to college for another season.

Over at The Draft Network, Joe Marino also ranks Etienne as the No. 4 running back prospect. One of the cons that Marino notes about Etiene is about his receiving skills, writing “he admittedly lacks confidence with his hands. Has to develop comfort catching the football to take full advantage of his skill set.” Pass-protection is also an area for improvement.

Yet, it’s incredibly enticing picturing Etienne in the Chiefs offense next season, as his burst, acceleration, and elusiveness make him one of the draft’s more dynamic offensive skill players. Plus, he’d be younger and fresher than the Chiefs current top three running backs, and he’d be locked up for at least four seasons on a team-friendly contract.