For as much publicity as Clemson sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence gets, often ignored is one of the most explosive playmakers in the NCAA.
The Tigers' junior running back, Travis Etienne has lit up college scoreboards since he was a true freshman in 2017 and with the back now being draft-eligible in 2020, you have to wonder what team will end up with one of the most underrated players in the 2020 draft class.
It's hard to be underrated when you're the ACC all-time leader in rushing (53) and total (57) career touchdowns — a record achieved in less than three seasons — but that's exactly where Etienne finds himself.
The biggest knock on the junior running back is obvious. At only 5-foot-10, Etienne doesn't have the ideal size for an ideal every-down back in the NFL. Etienne also needs to work on his blocking and decision making in the backfield but at the same time, the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to Etienne.
For starters, Etienne has elite speed at any level. With legit 4.3 speed and the explosiveness and acceleration to match, the junior is a threat to take it to the house any time he touches the ball.
While he doesn't have a ton of experience as a pass-catcher, Etienne's 28 catches so far this year are more than double (12) his combined reception total from his first two years.
In 15 games last year, Etienne recorded 1736 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns on an incredible eight yards per touch and is putting up similarly impressive stats for the Tigers this year.
When looking at teams in need of a running back in the 2020 draft, the Kansas City Chiefs come to mind.
After releasing Kareem Hunt, the Chiefs have relied on a tandem of second-year pros Damien and Darrell Williams and aging veteran LeSean McCoy and as a result, currently rank as the No. 24 rushing offense in the NFL.
Not to knock any of the Chiefs' current running backs, they are strong complementary pieces. However, with the talent the team has at receiver and Mahomes being arguably the best QB in the league when healthy, it only makes sense to try and pair him with an equally as explosive option to hand the ball off to.
Hunt broke onto the scene as a rookie in 2017 as an undersized, speedy, explosive back. Etienne is a better prospect than Hunt was coming out of Toledo but with running backs, in general, being devalued in an increasingly pass-happy league, the Chiefs may, and should, look to grab one of the most explosive prospects in the entire 2020 draft class.
Etienne has proven he doesn't need 25 carries a game to be effective which could be perfect for a Chiefs team that is currently employing a “running back by committee” approach.
Etienne's draft position is hard to track. Depending on his combine performance and the needs of certain teams, he could be a late first-round pick. However, most draft sites have the junior as a second or third-round pick and if he's available then, the Chiefs should no doubt pull the trigger.
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