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KC Chiefs: Running Back Wish List in 2020 NFL Draft

By Leigh Oleszczak

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 30: D'Andre Swift #7 of the Georgia Bulldogs rushes during the first half of the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 30: D'Andre Swift #7 of the Georgia Bulldogs rushes during the first half of the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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J.K. Dobbins #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
J.K. Dobbins #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

DAY ONE PROSPECTS

As mentioned on the intro slide, the Kansas City Chiefs hold the 32nd pick in the draft as a result of being the reigning Super Bowl champions (I’ll never get tired of saying that). While it’s likely that the Chiefs don’t stay put in round one, if they do, there are three running backs that could make sense at pick 32.

While I’d prefer the Chiefs don’t take a running back with their first round pick, if they drafted any of these three players, I’d be elated because it’d put the Kansas City offense – an already explosive unit – over the top.

J.K. Dobbins has been linked to the Chiefs in mock drafts and KC Kingdom’s own Chris Clark wrote that the Chiefs need to make drafting Dobbins a priority. Clark wrote,

"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."

Dobbins rushed for over 1,000 yards all three seasons that he was at Ohio State and rushed for over 2,000 yards this past season. He totaled 23 touchdowns as a junior for the Buckeyes and him declaring for the draft and forgoing his senior season was a no-brainer.

Next up, Georgia’s D’Andre Swift, who has also been linked to KC in mock drafts including one several months ago conducted by Bleacher Report. Swift had a nice three-year career at Georgia, but did so in a crowded running back room. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in two of his three seasons, but his touchdown numbers weren’t quite to the level of what Dobbins could do.

The only other running back I’d be okay with seeing go to the Chiefs at pick 32 is Jonathan Taylor out of Wisconsin. As a Nebraska fan, I loathed Taylor because he’d run over my Huskers time and time again, but I could easily get over that if he was drafted by Kansas City and became the next anchor out of the backfield.

Taylor rushed for over 2,000 yards in two of his three seasons in Madison and he had 26 total touchdowns as a junior in 2019. That kind of production in Kansas City would make this Chiefs offense damn near impossible to stop.

These players are the three best running backs according to The Draft Network and if the Chiefs took any of them with the final pick in the first round, it’d be hard to complain.

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