Dynasty & Redraft: RB Alvin Kamara, Saints

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Alvin Kamara: NFL Draft expert Mike Mayock pegs Tennessee RB as big riser

Edited September 16, 2017 by Faust

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5 Best Landing Spots in the 2017 NFL Draft for Tennessee Vols RB Alvin Kamara

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NFL draft profile: No. 31 — Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara, explosive runner with lots of tread

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Bob McGinn spoke with one NFL scout who believes Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara could start for the Packers.

"He’s a hell of a lot better than (Ty) Montgomery," the scout said. Other evaluators were not as thrilled, calling Kamara as secondary back or passing down role player, bringing up that he didn't even start at Tennesee until Jalen Hurd left the program. Kamara likely has enough fans in the NFL to be a top 50 pick. 

Apr 20 - 11:39 AM

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

[Faust 5,307]

NFL Media's Lance Zierlein likens Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara to former Cardinals RB Thomas Jones.

"Ascending, competitive runner who has flashed explosive NFL talent at various times over the last two seasons," Zierlein wrote. "A committed runner with excellent balance who finds yardage that isn't blocked for him." Kamara was curiously underused at Tennessee, never attempting even 20 rushes in a single game. He was, however, flashy when used, accruing 23 touchdowns in only 284 touches for the Vols. The 5-foot-10, 215-pounder has either visited or is scheduled to visit the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers. Kamara is projected to be chosen on Day 2. 

Apr 16 - 12:02 PM

Source: NFL.com

[Faust 5,307]

Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara has either visited or will visit the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers.

Philadelphia, Minnesota and Carolina all figure to be looking for runners fairly early on in the Draft. Kamara may not be a lead back in the traditional sense, but he's explosive, comes with good size and will bring real value to both the passing and return games of his new organization. The 5-foot-10, 215-pounder is projected to be chosen on Day 2 (Rds. 2-3) later this month. 

Apr 13 - 2:55 PM

Source: Aaron Wilson on Twitter

[Faust 5,307]

An NFL scout told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara "can do it all."

"He’s quick," the scout said. "Got good balance and vision. Catches the ball extremely well out of the backfield. Just hasn’t been a lead dog." The 5-foot-10, 214-pounder enjoyed a great NFL Combine with a 4.56 forty while leading all running backs with a 39.5-inch vertical leap and an 10-foot-11 broad jump. "When Jalen (Hurd) went down (in 2016) he had a chance to step up and be that guy and you just never saw it," another scout said. "He’s not really a between-the-tackles, wear-you-down, take-the-bull-by-the-horns guy. He needs to get out in space. He can be a good player in a niche role." Kamara is a first-round candidate who isn't getting out of the second.

 

 

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 

Mar 16 - 12:31 PM

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NFL Media draft analyst Bucky Brooks wrote that Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara "will walk out of [Indianapolis] as the biggest winner in the running back class."

Brooks passes along that Kamara "crushed the interviews" at the Combine and ladled praise on him for his "[h]igh football IQ and great personality." The 5-foot-10, 214-pounder performed well across the board in testing on Friday, leading all running backs with his 39.5-inch vertical leap and his 10-foot-11 broad jump. He also notched a 40-yard dash of 4.56 seconds and logged 15 reps on the bench press.

 

 

Source: Bucky Brooks on Twitter 

Mar 3 - 6:03 PM

 

Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara led all running backs with both his vertical leap (39.5 inches) and his broad jump (10 feet, 11 inches).

Kamara's leaping ability proved to be his most impressive trait in Indianapolis, but his work on the whole was very nice all the way around. The Tennessee product measured out at 5-foot-10, 214 pounds, put in 15 reps on the bench press and ran a 40-yard dash of 4.56 seconds. The first round is not out of the question for Kamara.

 

 

Source: Mike Loyko on Twitter 

Mar 3 - 4:32 PM

[Faust 5,307]

Tennessee's Alvin Kamara will not be listed as a top five RB prospect in Matt Waldman's final ranking.

In fact, Waldman says it is unlikely that Kamara will be in the top 10 and possibly not in the top 15 or 20. "I like Kamara. He’s a dynamic space player who can do some good work between the tackles," Waldman explained, but added poor decision making and troublesome ball security are significantly holding him back. Recently Kamara has been mentioned as a possible first round selection.

 

 

Source: Matt Waldman on Twitter 

Feb 16 - 11:19 AM

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ESPN's Todd McShay writes that Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara is "an underrated talent who will continue to rise as we get closer to the draft."

It isn't a huge surprise that Kamara lands on McShay's 32-player Big Board. More of a surprise, the fact that McShay opted for Kamara over Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey does not make the cut on this most recent Big Board. As for the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Kamara's NFL potential, McShay notes that "[h]e has the vision and lateral quickness you look for in a runner and the power to break a lot of tackles." On Mike Mayock's freshly released positional rankings, Kamara finds a home as the No. 4 running back in this draft class (trailing only Dalvin Cook, Leonard Fournette and the aforementioned McCaffrey).

 

 

Source: ESPN Insider 

Feb 14 - 10:01 PM

[Faust 5,307]

Tennessee redshirt junior RB Alvin Kamara should be in the first round conversation, according to Alvin Kamara.

Kamara is a big play threat whenever he touches the football. After Jalen Hurd left the Vols (and even before), Kamara took over as the the lead ball carrier for Tennessee and displayed his entire skill set. The former Alabama transfer has speed and aggression to finish off runs. Mayock cites Kamara's excellence in pass pro and calls him a special talent. We think the second round, not the first, is more likely.

 

 

Source: Mike Mayock on Twitter 

Jan 11 - 9:25 AM

[Faust 5,307]

One NFL Scout Believes Alvin Kamara is Overrated

[BigTex 859]

6 hours ago, Faust said:

One NFL Scout Believes Alvin Kamara is Overrated

I do too!

Tex

[BoltBacker 1,513]

7 hours ago, Faust said:

One NFL Scout Believes Alvin Kamara is Overrated

"Greg Gabriel @greggabe

@TainoEee - very avg run strength, not an inside runner. Limited. Good space player and receiver but that's it"

 

Ummmmm, doesn't that describe just about every RB on the Patriots roster? Those poor ######## will be lucky to break .500 I guess.

Some scouts seem to me like they are grading players(especially RB's) on a very DATED set of criteria. RB's that are good receivers that excel in space are only useful to an offense....... what? Maybe 66% of the time?

[Bojang0301 2,246]

Looks like Mewelde Moore to me. I'll pass.

[nirad3 2,695]

5 hours ago, Bojang0301 said:

Looks like Mewelde Moore to me. I'll pass.

Yikes.  Kamara is a million times shiftier and gets to top end speed quicker.  

Edited April 24, 2017 by nirad3

[voiceofunreason 1,040]

1 hour ago, nirad3 said:

Yikes.  Kamara is a million times shiftier and gets to top end speed quicker.  

Reminds me of Bishop Sankey. A few people love him and the NFL does but I don't get it.

[travdogg 2,999]

49 minutes ago, voiceofunreason said:

Reminds me of Bishop Sankey. A few people love him and the NFL does but I don't get it.

I think in a best case scenario, he can be a poor man's Lamar Miller. Guy who is explosive on 12-15 touches, but wears down quickly. That said, he has nowhere near the underrated power or vision that Miller has.

[Bojang0301 2,246]

3 hours ago, nirad3 said:

Yikes.  Kamara is a million times shiftier and gets to top end speed quicker.  

You take it as you want. Moore didn't have a bad career. Nothing to write home about though. He grades out as more explosive in the jumps but he's about the same size and 40 speed. Maybe he'll be used more in today's style of offense but this guy has no power and it will falter him in being a full time back at the next level. For where he will be drafted at, once again, I say no thanks.

Edited April 24, 2017 by Bojang0301

[Cookiemonster 239]

I don't get why everybody is beating the "underpowered" drum about Kamara but Dalvin Cook is a 1st round lock.  Kamara ran with better power, a very similar running style and pass protects much better than Cook.  He also comes with less maturity questions and a "high football IQ."  I wouldn't call either guy a 1st round lock, but would be less than surprised to see either or both make it into the top round.

[wikkidpissah 18,681]

i'm just glad he's got his own thread now - dont trust prospects who dont have their own Shark Pool thread before the draft.

[Faust 5,307]

Saints traded up with the 49ers to select Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara with the No. 67 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.

In a stunning move for a team that just signed Adrian Peterson to pair with Mark Ingram, the Saints have sent their 2018 second-rounder to San Francisco in addition to a seventh-rounder. Kamara (5’10/214) committed to Alabama out of high school only to redshirt as a freshman, transfer to JUCO, and spend his final two seasons in Knoxville, where he posted a 210-1,294-16 (6.16 YPC) career rushing line and caught 74 passes as the lightning to Jalen Hurd’s thunder. Kamara also averaged 10.9 yards on 26 punt returns, returning one to the house. Kamara is a versatile space back, but he disappointed with a 4.56 forty time in Indy and never reached 20 carries in a college game, topping 15 carries just three times in 24 appearances. Kamara did catch multiple passes in 19 games. A playmaking RBBC back who still needs to learn how to pass protect, Kamara is essentially a rich man’s Kenyan Drake. He won't have 2017 re-draft value.

 

[ZWK 1,994]

Great landing spot. Saints love to throw to their RBs. Could immediately step into the Sproles role (as long as he's actually a good player), with a chance to grow into a Pierre Thomas level workload as a runner over the next few years.

[voiceofunreason 1,040]

18 minutes ago, ZWK said:

Great landing spot. Saints love to throw to their RBs. Could immediately step into the Sproles role (as long as he's actually a good player), with a chance to grow into a Pierre Thomas level workload as a runner over the next few years.

Don't love him but that's a great landing spot. 

[JohnnyU 4,096]

Terrible landing spot.  I hate Sean Payton with running backs

[Faust 5,307]

Saints add RB Alvin Kamara to loaded backfield

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2017 NFL Draft Live Analysis: Fantasy Football Values

Excerpt:

Quote

New Orleans Saints: Alvin Kamara, RB – The Saints traded up with a 2018 second rounder to make this pick, so this tells you their valuing of Kamara. Mark Ingram has been a solid pass catcher, but we know how much Sean Payton loves having a pass-catching specialist. Adrian Peterson isn’t going to be involved in the passing game, but Kamara was overrated by many. He looks for the big play too often and has narrow vision, but the Saints will help offset that by getting him in space. He has great acceleration and good elusiveness. Think of this like the old Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Darren Sprolesmix with everyone seeing touches. Ingram takes a bit more of a hit now, moving him to the low-end RB2/RB3 conversation with Peterson a RB3/4 and lower in PPR and Kamara as a RB4 but potential high-end RB3 in PPR. As you can tell though, you might want to stay away.

 

[ZWK 1,994]

In PPR leagues, New Orleans has had a fantasy RB1 in 2016 (Ingram), 2015 (Ingram), 2012 (Sproles), 2011 (Sproles), 2007 (Bush), and 2006 (Bush). So, about every other year. In Sean Payton's 11 seasons they've had 16 fantasy starter RB seasons (top 24 PPR RB: Ingram 3 times, Thomas 5 times, Sproles 3 times, Bush 4 times, McAllister 1 time). They can support more than one RB because they throw it to their RBs so much, and the guy who catches passes is a pretty safe bet.

[ZWK 1,994]

Since Sean Payton took over the Saints in 2006, there have been 37 RB seasons with 4+ receptions per game (min 8 games). 10 of the 37 were Saints RBs (Ingram 1 time, Thomas 2 times, Sproles 3 times, and Bush 4 times).

Edited April 29, 2017 by ZWK

[Faust 5,307]

Quote

The Times-Picayune's Larry Holder expects third-round RB Alvin Kamara to play a "Reggie Bush/Darren Sproles-type role" behind Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson.

Bush saw 117 touches in 14 games behind Pierre Thomas (186) and Mike Bell (176) in 2009 while Darren Sproles notched 173 touches including 86 receptions behind Thomas (160) and Ingram (133) in 2011. Holder referenced both seasons when discussing how the Saints could divvy up the backfield touches this year. Ingram and Peterson should dominate the "early-down" work, but Kamara has a decent chance to see 125 touches as a rookie.

 

 

Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune

 

[Nero 165]

On 4/24/2017 at 9:22 AM, nirad3 said:

Yikes.  Kamara is a million times shiftier and gets to top end speed quicker.  

Shiftiness is about the only thing I would have said Kamara wasn't better than Mwelde Moore at.  Moore is a reasonable comp imo.  I think Moore had more lateral quickness, but Kamara is far more explosive, takes contact better and has better hands.

[CabinFever 150]

Just took him at 2.1 in a 12 team PPR league. Even if he doesn't get a ton of play this year AP won't be there long and who knows about Ingram...

[ILUVBEER99 1,369]

10 minutes ago, CabinFever said:

Just took him at 2.1 in a 12 team PPR league. Even if he doesn't get a ton of play this year AP won't be there long and who knows about Ingram...

I'm looking at it same way.  Not expecting much this year but love his future outlook.  Anything this year is gravy.

[massraider 10,996]

Yeah, that's what I thought about Lasco last year, ha.

I know Kamara has a better pedigree, but looking beyond a year is tough.

It's entirely possible Brees and Payton aren't there next year. Probable? No. But possible.

I have to love Kamara's talent to take him there, not his 2018 opportunity.

[massraider 10,996]

He has a really fun running style. He is smooth, catches off target passes in stride. Like.

[Ilov80s 30,228]

7 minutes ago, massraider said:

He has a really fun running style. He is smooth, catches off target passes in stride. Like.

It's not hard to see how he could be very successful in New Orleans. 

[massraider 10,996]

https://youtu.be/o1nJwvqEJIY

[Concept Coop 1,764]

1 hour ago, massraider said:

He has a really fun running style. He is smooth, catches off target passes in stride. Like.

I'd like him a lot more with sub 4.5 speed, but still have him as the 7th rookie in the class. I do wonder why he wasn't leaned on more heavily.  

Edited May 9, 2017 by Concept Coop

[Faust 5,307]

Saints' Alvin Kamara: Expected to play pass-catching role

[Faust 5,307]

Saints' Kamara in Bush/Sproles role could be fantasy football thorn

[Grahamburn 2,072]

14 hours ago, Concept Coop said:

I'd like him a lot more with sub 4.5 speed, but still have him as the 7th rookie in the class. I do wonder why he wasn't leaned on more heavily.  

He looks really soft to me.  Goes down at the mere threat of contact.

[Concept Coop 1,764]

16 minutes ago, Grahamburn said:

He looks really soft to me.  Goes down at the mere threat of contact.

He breaks a lot of tackles.  I really like his balance, personally.  

[Grahamburn 2,072]

1 minute ago, Concept Coop said:

He breaks a lot of tackles.  I really like his balance, personally.  

Perspective I guess.  I would expect something similar to Charles Sims. 

[bmsarvis 34]

I got him at pick 18 in a 10 team .5 ppr(start 2 to 3 rb)  I consider him at huge value at that point whether he's soft or not.

[wildabeast49 21]

I too love his balance. Never takes big hits and runs with good forward lean. He may not truck people like Fournette from a power standpoint but you see multiple times where his balance and lean allow him to hand walk for extra yardage (sometimes a lot). Nowhere near as complete a back obviously but the balance reminds me of watching Edge.

[Faust 5,307]

Alvin Kamara needs to show he’s worth the price

[toniblay 0]

Falled to me at 2.12, couldn't resist. I almost picked him up at 1.12 but selected Perine instead.

Great value, hope he turns into a Pierre Thomas style back in Payton system. He's going to get touches in year one, neither Peterson or Ingram can stay healthy for the whole season, and guess he's going to return kicks.

[Grahamburn 2,072]

On 5/10/2017 at 0:46 PM, wildabeast49 said:

I too love his balance. Never takes big hits and runs with good forward lean. 

I see this as him basically falling down before the defender makes contact with him. I think he's soft. 

[Faust 5,307]

Rookie Alvin Kamara catching on as runner/receiver for Saints

[Faust 5,307]

Saints' Alvin Kamara emerging as prime fantasy football sleeper