The position of running back for the New Orleans Saints is pretty top heavy with Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson at the front of the line. However, Alvin Kamara is making a case for some playing time amongst these two veterans.
The Saints third-round draft pick has impressed several members of the franchise for several reasons, but it’s his intelligence that’s making head coach Sean Payton take note.
“There’s some traits that Kamara has in regards to his intelligence and his ability to run routes that reminds me of Marshall Faulk.” Payton said on Sunday of the rookie, “We had a private workout with him and it was real evident in the first half-hour of how smart he was. He was in with the quarterbacks, he understood schemes, route reads, concepts, even on the field. It would be something that would be difficult to know if you’re just looking at a test.”
Hearing a head coach like Payton talk about a third-round draft pick has to be a positive sign that perhaps the Saints are putting more stock into getting more diamonds in the rough when it comes to the position of running back.
The former Volunteer had a pretty good junior campaign with 988 all-purpose yards, which makes him different when compared to his running back counterparts in Peterson and Ingram That combined with his intelligence will make him an impact player for the Saints in 2017 and beyond.
Even Drew Brees has been impressed with Kamara. “He’s a really smart guy. His ability to take in a lot of the information we’re giving him, especially as a back that plays a lot third down.” Brees said on Sunday while talking with the media, “Not only are you outside the pocket running routes and that kind of thing, but the protections can be complicated at times. His ability to decipher through all that stuff has been impressive so far.”
-Clint Domingue