NFL Draft 2017: A Look at the Best Pick from Each Round
Third Round
Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee
Selected No. 67 Overall (New Orleans Saints: via San Fransisco 49ers from Chicago Bears)
There is an argument that there has not been a more dangerous offensive weapon in the league over the last four to five years than Alvin Kamara. In Sean Payton’s offense, Kamara was a threat to get into the endzone on every play. He is not only a great runner, but he is also one of if not the best receiving back in the league.
Kamara’s 68 career touchdowns are the most in the league since he was drafted in 2017. What makes this stat so amazing is that those 68 touchdowns are also tied with Derrick Henry for the second-most since the 2016-17 & 2015-16 seasons. That is a crazy statistic considering that he wasn’t drafted until after the conclusion of the 2016-17 season.
New Orleans traded a seventh-round pick in this draft and a 2018 second-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers in order to take Kamara here in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Trading up highly valued draft capital like a second-round pick from the following year for Kamara was frowned upon at the time by many. At the time New Orleans had veteran Mark Ingram on their roster who was coming off of his first 1,000+ yard rushing season. They also signed former league MVP Adrian Peterson to a two-year $7 million deal that offseason. Many wondered what Kamara’s role would be in this offense.
The belief was New Orleans would use Kamara similarly to how they have used Darren Sproles and Reggie Bush in this offense. However, Kamara would exceed those expectations early in his rookie year. He played so well that New Orleans traded Peterson to the Arizona Cardinals after the first five weeks to free up more time in the backfield for him.
He finished his rookie year with 120 rushing attempts for 728 yards and eight rushing touchdowns. Kamara also had 81 receptions off of 100 targets for 826 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. He also took one of his 11 kickoff returns for a 106-yard touchdown as well. That performance earned Kamara NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, his first Pro Bowl appearance, and Second Team All-Pro as an offensive flex player.
In his second season, Kamara proved that the year prior was not a fluke. He rushed for 883 yards and 14 touchdowns on 194 attempts. Kamara also caught 81 of his 105 targets for 709 yards and four receiving touchdowns. He was voted to his second Pro Bowl following the season.
Year three for Kamara wasn’t up to the standard he had set for himself the previous two years. Despite finally being the lead back in New Orleans since Mark Ingram had signed in Baltimore, he finished the year with 797 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on 171 attempts. He also caught 81 of his 97 targets for 533 yards and a receiving touchdown. Kamara still was voted to the Pro Bowl following the 2019-20 season. It was reported after the season that he had been dealing with a torn MCL for the majority of the season.
After receiving a five-year, $75 million extension from the Saints, Kamara showed that he is still one of the league’s elite running backs this past season. He rushed for a career-high 932 yards and a career-high 16 touchdowns on 187 attempts. He also caught a career-high 83 receptions on 107 targets for 756 yards and five receiving touchdowns. Kamara was voted to his fourth straight Pro Bowl and was named Second Team All-Pro for the second time in his career.
The highlight of Kamara’s 2020-21 season and possibly his career came in Week 16 against the Minnesota Vikings where he tied the NFL record for rushing touchdowns in a single game with six. He finished with a stat line of 22 attempts for 155 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, along with three receptions on five targets for 17 yards.
This past season was going to be a difficult one for Kamara because this was his first without both Drew Brees and Michael Thomas. He was limited to only thirteen games this season because of injury but still put up solid numbers. Kamara rushed for 898 yards and four rushing touchdowns on a career-high 240 rushing attempts. He set career lows in receiving this season, catching only 47 receptions for 439 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. Kamara was only targeted 67 times this past season which is 30 fewer times than his next career lowest. His lack of production in the passing game had less to do with him as a player and more to do with the combination of missed time due to injury and the Saints’ reliance on using Kamara like a traditional running back due to the team’s poor quarterback play.
Kamara is the centerpiece of the New Orleans Saints offense. Sean Payton consistently found new ways to get the ball into Kamara’s hands because he can rip off a big play at any moment. He is the only running back in NFL history to record 500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in each of his first four seasons. There should be little to no doubt he was the best selection in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. But Cooper Kupp has entered the conversation after putting up historic numbers this past season in Los Angeles.
Honorable Mentions: