Chiefs were aligned as an organization on Clyde Edwards-Helaire

The Chiefs found their bellcow in Clyde Edwards-Helaire

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off of a Super Bowl victory, and a solid 2020 NFL Draft that saw them land a handful of talent, including LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. While drafting a running back in the first round is always a contentious task to partake in, the Chiefs did so after their organization found harmony over the prospect.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated has stated in this week’s edition of MMQB that while the Chiefs wanted to address another position on the defensive side of the ball, such as cornerback or linebacker, they felt like the value was no longer there after the top players of that position group came off the board.

With the likes of Patrick Queen and Kenneth Murray off the board at the linebacker position, the Chiefs’ eyes were then pulled to the small but mighty LSU running back. In fact, Breer states there was agreement on every level of the organization that Edwards-Helaire was their guy.

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"Kansas City fell in love with Edwards-Helaire’s game. Before every draft, GM Brett Veach and his staff give coach Andy Reid and his staff pockets of players to assess at every position, in an effort to marry up scouting reports from both sides of the operation. What the scouts got back from the coaches, from Reid to offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to RBs coach Deland McCullough, was unanimous, and lined right up with what the scouts were saying (Veach told Reid he believed Brian Westbrook was a fair comp just before Reid did the work on Edwards-Helaire)” (via Breer)."

Given the impending suspension of Bashaud Breeland (the Chiefs had to have known at the time), the cornerback position seemingly would have made more sense as well. However, six corners had already flew off the board, and the team did not feel the value of the tier two guys including Trevon Diggs and Jaylon Johnson was there with the last pick in the first round.

Edwards-Helaire already gives a boost to a backfield that won a championship without a real lead dog, as Damien Williams led the Chiefs in rushing a year ago with just 498 yards rushing and five scores on the ground. While the Chiefs may not publicly admit it, Edwards-Helaire is already penned in as the starter as teams do not use a first rounder on the position with the shortest shelf life to sit them.

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After a year where he tallied nearly 2,000 yards of total offense and 17 touchdowns for the National Champion Tigers, Edwards-Helaire joins the most high powered offense in the league. He looks to be a day-one starter and immediate contributor for an organization that loved him from day-one.

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