Well, this was an inspiring read....
From The Athletic's LSU beat writer (REMINDER: SUBSCRIBE FOR GREAT CONTENT):
By Brody Miller
LSU named Clyde Edwards-Helaire the team MVP. Think about that.
On a team with the Heisman Trophy winner, the Biletnikoff Award winner and the Thorpe Award winner — a team with six All-Americans — it was the 5-foot-8 running back, the three-star prospect in 2017 who many thought wouldn’t keep the starting job, who the national champions considered their most valuable player.
Because while Joe Burrow shattered records and Ja’Marr Chase dominated one top corner after another, Edwards-Helaire became the rock that made this whole thing work.
When the offense stalled against Auburn trailing 13-10, it was because of Edwards-Helaire that coordinators Steve Ensminger and Joe Brady said, “Let’s pound them this drive. We’re just going to run the ball and see if they can stop it.” He ran it four consecutive times for 22 yards, then 12, then 6, then 5 on the way to the end zone.
Or when LSU had Alabama on its tail in Tuscaloosa as it gave away a huge lead, it was Edwards-Helaire who stretched his hands for that third-and-10 pass, made several defenders miss and made the most important first down of the night. It was Edwards-Helaire who spun out of Crimson Tide tackles and scored four touchdowns with 180 yards. He had nine catches that night.
It was Edwards-Helaire who dragged four defenders for seven yards to gain that game-clinching first down for one of the biggest LSU wins in decades. That was the night Burrow became the clear Heisman frontrunner, but many in that stadium remember Edwards-Helaire as the man who pushed LSU past Alabama.
That underrated, 5-foot-8 running back was selected by the Chiefs in the first round with the 32nd pick of the NFL Draft on Thursday, finalizing the leap that so few foresaw when the 2019 season started.
No, most people seemed sure Edwards-Helaire would lose the starting job by midseason. Most people doubted he was a “premier back.” They thought he was small and that he didn’t have much upside. But people around LSU kept confidently saying, “Clyde is our running back.” Their confidence was surprising.
Then, he went out and rushed for 1,414 yards and 16 touchdowns while catching 55 passes for 453 yards. He became a top NFL Draft prospect.
That’s why, after LSU took down Alabama, an emotional Edwards-Helaire had his moment.
“It proves I’m an every-down back,” he said. “I’m an SEC back. You know I had that doubt coming in to LSU. ‘He’s not big enough, he’s not gonna be fast enough,’ but you know, everybody can measure the things they see but they can’t measure your heart, and that’s what I live by.”
Yes, it’s true Edwards-Helaire is only 5-foot-8, but he’s also 209 pounds and can squat 600. He ran a 4.60-second 40-yard dash at the combine, but experts say his overall testing numbers are off the charts.
Butkus Award-winning linebacker Devin White once said Edwards-Helaire was so hard to tackle because defenders lose sight of him behind the larger bodies. Once a defender actually finds him, White said, two things can happen. One, he can lower his shoulder and run through you, as you’re not ready for him, or two, he hits you with his spin move that defenders from Alabama to Texas have fallen victim to. Edwards-Helaire led the SEC in broken tackle percentage, according to Sports Info Solutions.
“I always felt like that was a part of my game that I’ve never really had to worry about, the first guy, because I’m usually making him miss,” he said in September.
Edwards-Helaire doesn’t look like the prototypical running back. He’s not big. He’s not somebody who is gonna hit a hole and take off for 50 yards. But Edwards-Helaire is the modern back, a guy who can rush for 6.5 yards per carry, catch 55 passes and block well. He’s complete.
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