The Chiefs focused on defense early in this year’s draft, but they may have uncovered an offensive contributor in the later rounds.
Fifth-round running back Emmett Johnson caught the eye of head coach Andy Reid at the team’s rookie minicamp over the weekend. Reid said he thinks Johnson can be an immediate contributor on special teams and that he’s showing signs that he may be able to add to the offense in a way that reminds viewers of a player who starred for Reid with the Eagles.
“He’s got a good feel for things,” Reid said. “A smart kid, a good kid. He’s got that lateral quickness. We had LeSean McCoy here for a bit and he has a little bit of that to him, where he can shift gears and still get himself up the field quickly. I like the way he pass protects, I like the way he catches the football, and it looks like he can do that here. We’re not doing live stuff, but the catching part he does easy. . . . It’s important in this offense that you’re able to catch the ball. You got to be able to block, and he showed that. At the same time, you have to be able to run the ball. The more you can do, we’ll utilize you in those areas and it puts pressure on the defense.”
There’s a big difference between a non-contact rookie minicamp and NFL action, but the path to playing time starts there and Johnson putting those kinds of thoughts in Reid’s head should only help him when it comes time to compete with Kenneth Walker, Emari Demercado and Brashard Smith for a role in Kansas City’s backfield.