Draft analysts cannot help themselves, as sure as the sun will rise, incoming NFL players will always be compared to those who came before them. It’s perhaps an unfair burden that we put on players who have yet to play a down in the NFL, to compare them to some all-time great players at their position. But it’s also so fun to envision what new players could be at the peak of their potential.
When the Kansas City Chiefs drafted LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire with pick No. 32 in the 2020 NFL Draft, the comparisons started to come in quickly. We heard comparisons to Brian Westbrook, Darren Sproles and Maurice Jones-Drew almost immediately after he was selected.
One comparison that made some noise on the airwaves came from NFL Network Analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who compared Edwards-Helaire to former Chiefs RB Priest Holmes.
Hall of Fame kicker Morten Andersen was with the Chiefs in 2002 and 2003, which happened to be two of the best seasons in Holmes’ career. When I asked Andersen what he thought about the comparison, he was careful to make it, because he witnessed those impressive seasons from Holmes first hand.
“In order to be compared to a Priest Holmes, you have to perform like a Priest Holmes,” Andersen said. “And I don’t believe Edwards-Helaire has taken a snap yet in the NFL. So until he takes a snap and performs or does not perform, we won’t know if he could be compared to Holmes. Because Holmes, for quite a while in the NFL was a really good player.”
In the two seasons that Holmes and Andersen played together, Holmes led the NFL with a combined 51 touchdowns from scrimmage. He accumulated over 4,300 yards from scrimmage in those two seasons, leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage in 2002. That production from Holmes helped Andersen reach career heights in extra points attempted and made, scoring 109 points for Kansas City in that span.
What Andersen was willing to admit, is that the Edwards-Helaire and Holmes might have similar skill sets.
“Maybe he has a similar skillset to Holmes,” Andersen continued. “We know he can run the ball, he’s small in stature, he can catch the ball out of the backfield. We know that about the kid because that’s what he did at LSU. So he’s multifaceted, we know that. But until he takes a snap in the NFL in a game and starts performing, we’re not going to know if he’s Priest Holmes material or worthy of having that comparison. I’m real careful to label guys until they show me the money— until you put shoulder pads on them and the lights come on, you don’t really know if you have an All-Pro or if the guy is going to bust.”
Andersen and the rest of the Chiefs Kingdom should find out very quickly if Edwards-Helaire is worthy of the comparison to Holmes. The bright lights will be on the Chiefs from the get-go of the 2020 season as the reigning Super Bowl champions, opening the NFL season against Houston Texans.
If Edwards-Helaire is able to recapture some of what he showed at LSU during their 2019 championship-winning season, he’ll be well on his way to meeting the expectations set by some of these draft comparisons. And maybe then Andersen will be a little more comfortable making the comparison to his former teammate.
This interview is the second of a multi-part series with Hall of Fame kicker Morten Andersen sponsored by Bet Pennsylvania. You can find a link to part 1 below.
Part 1: Dustin Colquitt and the specialist stigma
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