With the 32nd Pick the Chiefs Select: Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB LSU

[onejayhawk]

3 hours ago, valkrei said:

If your open and PM2 sees you, your likely getting the ball.

Why not just say, if you're open. PM II will get you the ball. 

J

[valkrei]

4 hours ago, onejayhawk said:

Why not just say, if you're open. PM II will get you the ball. 

J

Because I don't talk like you? lol

[RedGold]

Or PMII will get you the ball, if you’re open 

[onejayhawk]

10 minutes ago, samsel23 said:

Or PMII will get you the ball, if you’re open 

He said, "If ... PM2 sees you." That is usually a given. 

[Chiefer]

Watching some highlights and he’s got that catch and spin move thing that Kelce and Hill got.

hes gonna fit in just fine.

[Kirill]

7 hours ago, Chiefer said:

Watching some highlights and he’s got that catch and spin move thing that Kelce and Hill got.

hes gonna fit in just fine.

He's Marshall Faulk 2.0. were the greatest show on turf on steroids

[Mizter_Clean10]

5 hours ago, Kirill said:

He's Marshall Faulk 2.0. were the greatest show on turf on steroids

Dude you were mad we drafted him literally a week ago

[valkrei]

3 hours ago, Mizter_Clean10 said:

Dude you were mad we drafted him literally a week ago

He can change his Mind!  The biggest problem is we can think he could of been there with our 2nd pick but it was a risk waiting if that's the guy.

[onejayhawk]

I agree. Trading back three or five picks could have worked, but it's apparent that he was the guy. Pulling the trigger eliminates the risk.

J

[warsawian]

I am here to debunk the myth that Clyde Edwards-Helaire is slow for the position by NFL standards, furthermore I would like to continue to promote my comparison of him as a PROSPECT to that of Barry Sanders.  

Notes from an actual scouting report Gil Brandt wrote on Sanders for Dallas:

"Sanders measured up at 5-foot-7 5/8, 203 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37. ... I wish he was a little taller. ... Has Tony Dorsett-like ability as a runner, unbelieveable quickness (quickness grades above 80 percent). ... Great leg strength and vision. ... Can cut, stop and start on a dime. ... Has been very durable. ... Can return kickoffs (two for TDs in 1987). ... Oklahoma State seldom throws ball to running backs but he did catch ball well in practice. ... Great person, everyone from equipment manager to the secretaries brag on him. ... Should be a Pro Bowl player."

 

Does that scouting report seem pretty similar to CEH?  There are really very few differences, other than 3/8 inch height and 4 lbs, and the outlier being the 40 yard dash time discrepancy of 4.37 vs 4.6.  

 

On to the 40 yard dash, the consensus is that Barry Sanders was a home run 4.3 guy by today's standards, and that CEH isn't fast.  

- The tape doesn't lie, go watch Barry Sanders top 50 plays on youtube, I'm on a govt computer so I can't share the link.  He frequently gets caught from behind by defenders from the 90's era of football.  Not to discredit Barry Sanders but the idea that he was a speed demon like Chris Johnson is simply not true.  Barry had good speed but elite quickness, moves, and agility.  Now go watch highlights of Clyde Edwards-Helaire against SEC defenses, the guy breaks long runs and occasionally gets caught from behind much in the same way Barry Sanders did. Their speed, quickness, agility, and running style are literally identical.  It's scary. 

- The 4.37 forty ran by Barry was hand time, which are notoriously faster than the automated times at the Combine. Historically scouts cut off 1/10 of a second when comparing to automated times, making Barry Sanders a 4.47 automated forty time guy.  

- Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran a 4.47 automated forty yard dash at the 2016 Nike SPARQ combine, approximately the exact same speed that Barry Sanders would have ran.  

Here some other numbers from 2016 Nike SPARQ combine in comparison to the NFL combine: 

1. Jonathan Taylor: SPARQ - 4.42 / NFL Combine - 4.39

2. JK Dobbins: SPARQ - 4.44 / NFL Combine - NA but considered a HR threat

3. Cam Akers: SPARQ - 4.41 (Pre ACL injury) / NFL Combine - 4.47

4. Anthony McFarland: SPARQ - 4.53 / NFL Combine - 4.44

5. Eno Benjamin: SPARQ - 4.70 / NFL Combine - 4.57

6. Patrick Queen: SPARQ - 4.72 (at 209 lbs) / NFL Combine - 4.50

7. AJ Dillon: SPARQ - 4.54 (at 239 lbs) / NFL Combine - 4.53

8. Jeffrey Okudah: SPARQ - 4.49 / NFL Combine - 4.48

9. Xavier McKinney: SPARQ - 4.59 / NFL Combine - 4.63

 

The data shows that the SPARQ automated 40 is incredibly accurate. 

In Conclusion...

I ask you, would everyone be labeling CEH as having below average speed if he ran a 4.47 at the NFL combine like he did at the SPARQ combine?  His tape definitely shows a RB with elite quickness and good break away speed.  I think it's time we squash this misconception. 

I'm not saying that Clyde Edwards Helaire is Barry Sanders, not yet.  However he is the closest comparison to Barry Sanders that I have ever seen and I have been evaluating draft prospects as a hobby since 2004.

[Chiefer]

@warsawian

i don’t think anybody would say he’s slow, sure top end wise he can get dragged from behind but he’s got elite levels of burst, confirmed through his jump testing and film. Similar to Kareem Hunt, who could hit top of the league MPH but still isn’t faster than Tyreek.

 

[onejayhawk]

3 hours ago, Chiefer said:

@warsawian

i don’t think anybody would say he’s slow, sure top end wise he can get dragged from behind but he’s got elite levels of burst, confirmed through his jump testing and film. Similar to Kareem Hunt, who could hit top of the league MPH but still isn’t faster than Tyreek.

Hunt was also not fast. His 40 time was 4.62. when coupled with small school issues, he available in round 3. His jump tests were good for a big back, but not spectacular. He was not considered to have good burst coming out. What set Hunt apart was his ability to lean into a hit and not lose balance. The yards after contact were spectacular. 

J

[Chiefer]

23 minutes ago, onejayhawk said:

Hunt was also not fast. His 40 time was 4.62. when coupled with small school issues, he available in round 3. His jump tests were good for a big back, but not spectacular. He was not considered to have good burst coming out. What set Hunt apart was his ability to lean into a hit and not lose balance. The yards after contact were spectacular. 

J

Hunt could hit top speed pretty quick too, he escaped a few guys and hit some long touch downs that you wouldn’t think given his 40 time. 

[warsawian]

1 hour ago, onejayhawk said:

Hunt was also not fast. His 40 time was 4.62. when coupled with small school issues, he available in round 3. His jump tests were good for a big back, but not spectacular. He was not considered to have good burst coming out. What set Hunt apart was his ability to lean into a hit and not lose balance. The yards after contact were spectacular. 

J

See this is what I'm talking about.  Hunt was fast, he played fast.  Just because a guy runs a 4.6 40 does not mean he's not fast.  Also like I said previously CEH is not a 4.6 guy, he ran a 4.47 in high school.  One bad day at the combine does not make you "slow". 

As for vertical, Hunt's 36.5" vert is pretty good.  I believe vertical and broad jump is far more indicative of RB success in the NFL, all positions really.  One of the reasons that I believe Leonard Fournette has not been as productive in the NFL, his 28.5" vertical shows he lacks explosiveness.  

[onejayhawk]

I agree there. They call the 40 long speed for a reason. For acceleration, the 10 yard split and the jumps are much more indicative. 

The same applies on defense, only there the word is sudden. It's the reason I expect Danna to have success as a pass rusher. There is no move to learn, just be in the blockers face before he can set his feet. Justin Houston had it. 

J