New SI mock draft has Chiefs take a first-round RB

While it may not be the Chiefs' most pressing need, a new Sports Illustrated mock draft has KC taking a running back with their first-round pick.

As the virtual 2020 NFL Draft, scheduled for April 23-25, inches closer, Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Hanson has laid out the 12th version of his mock draft and has the Chiefs taking a running back at pick 32.

Oddsmakers at William Hill believe general manager Brett Veach and company will likely have every running back will be at their disposal at the end of the first round, and Hanson agreed.

His latest mock draft has the Chiefs taking D'Andre Swift with the 32nd pick in the draft. Hanson ranks Swift as the No. 1 running back in the 2020 draft class.

With a compact frame, low center of gravity and powerful lower body, Swift rushed for 1,000-plus yards in back-to-back seasons and departs Athens with a career 6.56 yards per carry average. A patient runner with exceptional lateral agility and balance, Swift has elite burst and short-area quickness and has drawn comparisons to LeSean McCoy due to his shiftiness and elusiveness. With 73 catches for 666 yards and five touchdowns in his collegiate career, Swift is a reliable receiver with soft hands (only three drops over his career) and is willing to compete in pass protection.

After mocking Swift to the Chiefs, Hanson explained his logic as to why the junior out of Georgia could be headed to Kansas City.

Perhaps this is a luxury pick, as Damien Williams has been productive in the Chiefs’ offense, but Swift gives Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid another dynamic weapon. With a compact frame and exceptional lateral agility, Swift departs Athens with a career 6.56 yards per carry average and 73 career receptions in his three seasons. 

Swift registered 196 carries in his final season as he collected a career-high 1,218 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns. The Philadelphia native notched two 1,000-plus rushing yard seasons and never fumbled in his three-year career.

While Swift’s most successful rushing season came in 2019, the 5-foot-9 back saw his most productive receiving season in 2018. The then-sophomore hauled in 32 passes for 297 yards and three scores.

The draft stock of the running back position has decreased throughout the years. In the past 10 years, 19 running backs have been taken in the first round. During that stretch, there have been two seasons where a running back was not taken in the first.

From 2000-09, teams took 32 running backs in the draft’s opening round. The last time the Chiefs drafted a running back with their first pick was Larry Johnson in 2003.

For the full mock draft, including Hanson’s picks for the Chiefs at the end of the second and third rounds, click here.