The Kansas City Chiefs selected LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire with first-round pick Friday night. He will be joining a running back group that is already flush with talent, with Damien Williams, Darrel Williams, Darwin Thompson, and DeAndre Washington. Edward-Helaire will be expected to be in the running to be a starter after becoming the first player the Chiefs have selected in the first round since Patrick Mahomes in 2017. Andy Reid and Brett Veach feel that he has the potential to take an already explosive offense to the next level.
Here are three things that you should know about the newest member of the Chiefs:
It is a dream come true to join the Chiefs
Edwards-Helaire’s addition to the Kansas City offense should have other teams worrying about how to slow them down. In his final year with LSU, Edwards-Helaire ran for over 1,400 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was also a threat in their passing game catching 55 passes for 453 yards and a touchdown. During the NFL combine, he was asked about what it would be like to be a part of the Chiefs offense.
“Ultimately it’ll be a dream come true”, said Edwards-Helaire. “And, you know, that’s with any team. But ultimately, man, that offensive scheme and being able to do the things that I’m good at, get in space, run routes on people that have free reign to run routes on. Ultimately, playing with Patrick Mahomes would also be something pretty cool. That offense, it kinda, it’s pretty much the same way we ran our college offense. Get guys in space and let them make plays. And that’s where I made my money.”
He believed he would be an excellent fit for Kansas City, and the Chiefs’ decision-makers felt the same.
He was teammates with Darrel Williams at LSU and considers him a mentor
During Edwards-Helaire’s freshman year at LSU, he played with current Chiefs running back Darrel Williams.
“I was coming in under Darrel in the LSU locker room,” Edwards-Helaire said. “Initially when I came in, Darrel kind of took me under his wing along with Derrius Guice. Darrel was the person that made me understand playbooks and everything more, I mean I was a 17-year-old kid. I just turned 17 and Darrel was trying to teach me all these things as far as a college offense. Ultimately, I had to learn three different offenses, but Darrel was always there when I was learning the first time. Darrel is a mentor for me. As soon as my name came across the screen [in the draft] Darrel was the first person [to reach out]. He’s a big brother to me.”
The relationship between the two running backs can be beneficial, especially when it comes to Edwards-Helaire learning the playbook faster. It could be a huge advantage considering the offseason will likely be shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He’s a highly-respected player coming out of college
The Chiefs believed Edwards-Helaire was the best running back in this year’s draft which explains why they did not want to risk trading back even though some believed they could have got him later in the second round. The Chiefs are not the only ones that how good he can be. The No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow said that he was the best player he had ever played alongside. That is a big deal considering Burrow has played alongside some talented players. Guys like Chase Young and Jeff Okudah while attending Ohio State University, who were picked second and third overall respectively.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach told Andy Reid that he would see former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook while watching Edwards-Helaire. Reid responded saying that he is better than Westbrook. The hype is clearly high for Edwards-Helaire, hopefully, he can live up to it. If he does, he has the potential to be the Chiefs’ next great running back.
