D’Andre Swift surprisingly not taken in first round of NFL Draft

D’Andre Swift was looked at as anywhere from a mid to late first-round pick in the NFL Draft, but somehow he slipped out of that group.

Georgia running back D’Andre Swift was supposed to be wearing an NFL team hat by the time the first round was over. Instead, he’s hoping he’ll hear his name called in the second round. Could he slip further?

Drafting running backs in the first round is something most NFL teams got away from for a long time due to fear of spending an important draft pick on a position that had seen a severe reduction in the overall playing lifespan league-wide, and D’Andre Swift may be a victim of some of that fear.

A number of teams could have possibly been in the market for a premier running back, but wisely opted to go in other directions. The Buccaneers had a need, but went with offensive line instead, taking Iowa Hawkeyes tackle, Tristan Wirfs.

Outside of the Bucs, there weren’t a lot of teams who had a specific need for a running back in the first round. There were more pressing needs that had to be addressed with the early picks.

The one team who really could have gone in any direction — including running back — was the Kansas City Chiefs. As many expected, they did pick a running back, but it wasn’t D’Andre Swift. Instead, Andy Reid and the Chiefs decided on LSU tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

Most figured on KC going with either Swift or possibly Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins, so the pick for Edwards-Helaire was a bit of a surprise.

The biggest upside to Edwards-Helaire is how much tread he likely has left on his tires. He only has 370 carries in his entire college career, 215 of them coming last season.

There was really no downside for the Chiefs taking either Swift or Edwards-Helaire. Both are fast, one-cut runners with great balance. Both excel at catching passes out of the backfield. Swift is probably more adept at pass blocking when needed.

Who might pick D’Andre Swift in the 2nd Round?

The Bucs are still a team that could really use Swift in their backfield and may be the best fit for Swift more than anyone right now.

There are two teams who didn’t have first-round picks — the Bears and the Texans — both of whom could use a fresh set of legs to complement their current stable of backs.

The Texans might want someone to be there behind Duke and David Johnson — either of which could end up underperforming — but they also still have some big needs on defense, both at the line and in the secondary.

For the Bears, they really do need someone to rotate in with Tarik Cohen that can be a breakaway back and do some of the grunt work, but they are more likely to do some upgrading in the trenches on offense and defense.

Lastly, the Jacksonville Jaguars could be in the market for a running back. Leonard Fournette hasn’t exactly been a pillar of consistency for the Jags, and there are rumors that they may be looking to deal the former LSU star.

There doesn’t seem to be any scenario where Swift isn’t taken in the second round, it’s just a matter of which team is ready to pull the trigger on a running back with a higher-round pick.