KC Chiefs: Drafting J.K. Dobbins should be high priority

The KC Chiefs are in a unique position with the 2020 NFL Draft. With no major holes in the roster, the team will be adding depth and building for the future. If they choose to select a running back, J.K. Dobbins should be the guy.

It seems like the Kansas City Chiefs could pick about any roster position in the draft and make a good choice. This is simply because they have a really great roster returning from their first Super Bowl win in 50 years.

With bigger roster needs coming in 2021, Kansas City can approach this draft with more of a focus on the future. While the running back position doesn’t have to be addressed this year, it’d give the team a head start for next year if they did.

Even if the Chiefs don’t have a spectacular running back room, it’s at least a solid one. Had quarterback Patrick Mahomes not won the Super Bowl MVP, it likely would have been running back Damien Williams.

His performance to help the Chiefs secure the Lombardi Trophy likely had football fans outside of Kansas City wondering why they haven’t heard more about him. There’s no question that he is a talented running back, but unfortunately, he does have question marks when trying to stay healthy for a full season.

After Williams, there are Darrel Williams, Darwin Thompson, and new free-agent acquisition, DeAndre Washington. While all of these backs create a solid running back room, it seems like the Chiefs are still missing a truly elite playmaker at the position. That seems to have been missing since the end of the 2018 season when Kareem Hunt was suddenly and rightfully released from the team.

Thankfully, the Chiefs offense continued to thrive with stars at every other skill position outside of running back, but just imagine what adding an elite-level running back to the Chiefs’ offense would look like now.

That player could be Ohio State’s, J.K. Dobbins, who they’ve chatted with virtually in recent weeks. Interestingly, watching Dobbins’ highlights is likely to remind Chiefs Kingdom of Hunt’s style of play.

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The 5’9″, 209-pound Dobbins knows to shake defenders out of their cleats or break through their attempted tackles. His lateral quickness and sudden speed are what make him so unique to watch and what should keep opposing defensive coordinators up at night.

One thing is for sure – this Ohio State prospect knows how to make plays. While he wouldn’t have to be the starter in year one, it wouldn’t be surprising if he did steal the top spot on the depth chart in 2020.

The big question with the potential for the Chiefs to select Dobbins is where they could or would pick him. Sitting at the last spot in round one, he’ll likely be there for the team to pick, but selecting a running back in round one – unless they’re an absolute generational talent – is likely not the best choice. The better scenario would be if they traded back from the 32nd pick and gained another pick in round two.

Adding a pick in the second round would be ideal in this scenario and if Dobbins fell to them, he’d likely be worth drafting at that point. It’d be hard to pass up a player with three straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, with one season even being over 2,000 yards.

As talented as Dobbins is, he’ll likely not fall past round two, knowing that there are teams who are needier at the position than the Chiefs are. Since he’s projected to be a starter within the first couple of seasons, he’ll likely go sooner rather than later.

If Kansas City is fortunate enough to add Dobbins to their roster, he’ll have the opportunity to continue to add some great hardware to his already impressive trophy room. Also, since he was close to winning a national title at Ohio State and didn’t, he’ll likely be hungry for the glory of a Super Bowl win.

Hopefully, J.K. Dobbins gets to be a part of what lies ahead for Kansas City and hopefully, that starts for him in less than a week.