Draft Darlings: Marshawn Lloyd would give the Chiefs explosive runs
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By: Nate Christensen
Pairing this USC running back with Isiah Pacheco would give Kansas City a terrific one-two punch.
The Kansas City Chiefs could use another running back.
While Isiah Pacheco has established himself as a capable NFL starter, the Chiefs need more depth at the position. Jerick McKinnon — mostly a non-factor last season — was not re-signed. Clyde Edwards-Helaire isn’t good enough to be the team’s second running back. Neither Deneric Prince or La’Mical Perine have shown enough that they could be expected to step into larger roles.
So it would make sense for the Chiefs to pursue another back in April’s NFL Draft — and in the middle rounds, USC’s Marshawn Lloyd is an intriguing prospect. Here’s what you need to know.
Background
Coming out of DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Maryland, Lloyd was a four-star running back prospect who had offers from Alabama, Clemson, USC, and Texas before enrolling at South Carolina. After a redshirt year (and a subpar freshman year), Lloyd started to show positive signs in his redshirt sophomore year, posting 111 carries for 573 yards (5.2 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns — along with 18 receptions for 176 yards and two scores.
After the 2022 season, Lloyd entered the transfer portal, choosing to spend his final collegiate season at USC. There, he put together his best season, posting 116 carries, 820 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns — plus 13 catches and 232 receiving yards. Lloyd received an honorable mention for 2023’s All-Pac 12 team.
Film evaluation
Marshawn Lloyd (#0), RB, USC
– Explosive, explosive, explosive
– Pulls away from defenders in open field
– Size profile with elite speed
– Dynamic out of backfield, excellent field vision/speed
– Gets north/south very well
– Decel to 0 and cut off that pic.twitter.com/8eZMaaWbFw— Nate Christensen (@natech32) April 6, 2024
Lloyd’s film clearly shows he is explosive in the open field; a staggering 21% of his runs went for 10+ yards. USC runs many plays from spread formations, using the college game’s wider hashes to create explosive opportunities for its skill players — and Lloyd took full advantage of that. Once he’s in the open, he has the speed to fly past defenders and score from any area on the field. For his size — 5 feet 9 and 215 pounds — his fifth gear is elite.
This really shows up in Lloyd’s receiving game. Since he was usually deployed on screens and swing routes, Lloyd didn’t run a lot of pass patterns in college. But within that limited tree, Lloyd created a many explosive plays. He’s not super agile in open space, but his field vision (and speed) allow him to bob and weave around the field; he can beat any angle with his speed.
Lloyd has underrated traits. Even at his size, he thrives in shotgun formations. He has the speed to hit to the front side on a zone concepts, where he also has displays good vision. He does not display strong jump-cut skills, but he can plant his foot and get north-south quickly; if a defense overcommits, he can burn it. While Lloyd doesn’t yet have a large variety of runs in his bag — most of his USC production was the result of their formations and the lack of tight ends — he will be ready to run any NFL outside zone scheme from Day 1.
How he fits with the Chiefs
Lloyd would be an excellent fit Kansas City, because the team doesn’t have a running back who is good from shotgun formations. Pacheco thrives in downhill runs from under center — but from shotgun (which the Chiefs run often) it’s more difficult for him to get downhill; he struggles when asked to use his vision and agility..
With Lloyd, the Chiefs would be able to use their running backs from positions of strength. Lloyd could run from shotgun, where he is very comfortable in outside zone runs; it’s where his vision and speed can be used to full effect. Pacheco could continue to be an excellent battering ram from under center. Lloyd and Pacheco would be a great “thunder and lightning” combination.
The bottom line
This isn’t a great year for running backs in the draft. The top of the class is underwhelming, but its overall depth is fairly good — so contributors may be found in the middle rounds. That’s exactly where Kansas City will be shopping for them; the team just needs a complement to Pacheco.
And to me, Lloyd is the best candidate of this class to pair with Kansas City’s starter. The Chiefs would have an ideal player for any kind of running play.
Grade: Round 3
Originally posted on Arrowhead Pride
