20/20: Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Welcome to the 20/20 series. As part of our continued Dynasty Scouts coverage and in preparation for the NFL Combine, we profile 20 of the top incoming rookies of the class of 2020 by giving you 20 facts you must know.

1.) Player Name – Clyde Edwards-Helaire

2.) College – Louisiana State University

3.) Height/Weight – 5’8″, 209 pounds

4.) Birth Date – 04/11/1999 (20 years old)

5.) Class – Junior

6.) Basic College Stats:

Courtesy of sports-reference.com.

7.) NFL Draft round projection – With the depth of the running back class this year, the second round looks like it’s going to be the sweet spot for NFL teams to invest in the position. Based on early mock drafts, Edwards-Helaire looks like he a day two lock and with a strong combine, could hear his name called mid-way through the second round.

8.) Current NFL comparison – The NFL comparison game is a tough one. When I do comp it is based more on play style than who these guys will actually turn into at the next level. He plays like a more athletic version of Austin Ekeler. The ability to run between the tackles is there, but where these players really shine is in the receiving game. There’s no doubt that CEH can be an immediate weapon for any NFL offense from day one with this skill set.

9.) Best possible destination – Kansas City, Tampa Bay and Baltimore would be excellent landing spots for him.

10.) Worst possible destination – Any team with an established passing down back, or young stud back.

11.) Best current skill – His ability to be used as a weapon in the receiving game is his best attribute. During his collegiate career he showed a high-level receiving skill set, not only out of the backfield but split out wide and in the slot. He’s very good at creating separation. When lined up on a linebacker it is an absolute mismatch.

12.) Skill that needs to be improved – Pass protection. He tends to get bullied in this department and doesn’t show a lot of pop in his stance out of the backfield. Granted, when third down rolls around you’ll want him running routes instead of pass blocking, so while I think he needs to get better in that department, I’m not overly concerned by it.

13.) Current rookie ADP – In single quarterback rookie mock drafts, he has a current ADP of seventh overall and RB5 behind D’Andre Swift, JK Dobbins, Jonathan Taylor and Cam Akers. In superflex mocks his ADP is 11th overall.

14.) Projected dynasty value – I’ll take the conservative approach and say right now he’s inside the top-30 running backs in dynasty but doesn’t quite crack the top-24. This can and will change if he receives the draft capital.

15.) Character concerns – I’ll say there’s absolutely nothing that concerns me personally about Edwards-Helaire’s character, however, I’m sure he will have to answer questions about an incident that took place in 2018 where he was victim of an armed robbery and fatally shot and killed his attacker. CEH and another LSU teammate were not convicted and the district attorney called the shooting justified, nevertheless these questions are bound to rise at some point during the pre-draft process for him. How he handles them and responds will be important.

16.) Austin Ekeler comp in motion:

I know the popular comparison for Clyde Edwards-Helaire is MJD or Ray Rice but is he more Austin Ekeler 🤔

Either way I want him on my dynasty rosters. https://t.co/z7IAxpkxfe

— Ray G (@RayGQue) January 9, 2020

17.) DLF Rookie Film Study with Ryan McDowell:

Last night @RayGQue and @RyanMc23 broke down some film of two top-5 RBs in Jonathan Taylor and Clyde Edwards-Helaire on @DLFootball Twitch channel!

Watch the full videos here and subscribe!👇
Jonathan Taylor: https://t.co/2eG4QCsL58
Clyde Edwards-Helaire: https://t.co/CtAIYbhuju pic.twitter.com/v4MznYzlup

— Addison Hayes (@amazehayes_) February 8, 2020

18.) High School Testing – Edwards-Helaire is an athlete. I’ve seen some people question what kind of speed he has, or how he will test at the combine. Based on his high school numbers, I’m not concerned one bit – and you shouldn’t be either.

19.) Injury History – Outside of a hamstring injury suffered in practice prior to the college football playoffs in 2019, Edwards-Helaire has not dealt with any injuries that we know of. This bodes well for any type of running back, but especially one with his stature. There’s a lot of tread left on those CEH tires – a major positive for dynasty team owners.

20.) Work Ethic – It’s impossible to quantify a player’s work ethic. There aren’t any models that can predict this or spit out a projection on how work ethic translates to fantasy points. I’ll say this about Mr. Edwards-Helaire: there weren’t many people in the community who thought highly of him coming into the 2019 season.

All the hype and craze was surrounding the incoming five-star recruit John Emery Jr. I even said multiple times that Emery Jr. would be the full-time starter by week five. Not only did CEH relegate him to the bench for most of the season, he elevated his game to a completely different level.

If this is the type of mindset he’s going to have, the drive to thrive in the face of adversity and competition, then I couldn’t be more excited to draft him for my dynasty teams in the coming months.