Latest Kansas City Chiefs pre-draft virtual call could see fans relive past first-round trauma in the 2025 NFL Draft
Details are emerging on a recent Kansas City Chiefs pre-draft virtual call. According to a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Chiefs spoke with Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson on Tuesday. Fowler reports that Chiefs HC Andy Reid was part of the call. Fowler also reports that the Chiefs are doing some late homework on the […]
Details are emerging on a recent Kansas City Chiefs pre-draft virtual call.
According to a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Chiefs spoke with Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson on Tuesday. Fowler reports that Chiefs HC Andy Reid was part of the call. Fowler also reports that the Chiefs are doing some late homework on the running back position.
Listed at 5-foot-10 and 202 pounds, Henderson posted a 38.5-inch vertical, a 128-inch broad jump, and a 4.43s 40-yard dash during the pre-draft process. He's been steadily rising up the draft boards with the predominant thought that he could be the second or third running back taken after Boise State's Ashton Jeanty and North Carolina's Omarion Hampton.
Is this the Clyde Edwards-Helaire pick all over again for the Chiefs?
Henderson is fresh off a national title win with the Buckeyes, an eerily reminiscent similarity to former LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the last running back the Chiefs selected in the first round (No. 32 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft). They're strikingly similar players, too. Both were praised coming out of school for their ability as a runner and their versatility as a pass-catcher. The 22-year-old Henderson has Edwards-Helaire beat as a pass-blocker, though.
Henderson really differs from Edwards-Helaire in his experience. He's had three seasons with over 1,100 scrimmage yards and three seasons with double-digit scrimmage touchdowns. That also means he's got more mileage than Edwards-Helaire, with about 230 more touches during his college career.
That brings us to the big fear with Henderson: Injuries.
In 2022, he missed multiple games with a fractured left foot that required surgery. In 2023, he missed time due to various other lower-body injuries. Last season, he was perfectly healthy, but as Chiefs fans are aptly aware, a rash of lower-body injuries ultimately stifled Edwards-Helaire's explosiveness and success in Kansas City.
While the Chiefs need to get more explosive at the running back position, they'll also need to do their due diligence on Henderson's injuries. A pre-draft visit would feel better than a virtual call. You have to hope they're not falling into the same trap that they did back in 2020.
Perhaps the best-case scenario is that the Chiefs' late homework on the running back class could be because of reports of other NFL clubs seeking to trade back into Round 1. Trading out of the first round to acquire more picks and a running back would be more tolerable.
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