I admire the construction of the Kamara Train, but until he learns to build a smarter railway, I’m content with getting my ticket at a later date.
There’s a lot of love for Alvin Kamara among the draftnik community. Don’t include me.
I like Kamara. He’s a dynamic space player who can do some good work between the tackles. But in a rich class of runners, you won’t see him in my top 5 list of backs.
It’s unlikely he’ll be in my top 10. And unless I see overwhelming evidence of better ball security and decision-making—which is doubtful—he won’t be in my top 15-20.
It doesn’t make Kamara a bad player. I have a process that differs from the NFL’s system of round grades. While I’m critical of that system for compelling reasons as a former operations guy, there is validity to giving more weight to a player’s projected improvement than his current portfolio of work.
I project player development within my process, but there are limits to how much weight I’m willing to give. If Kamara improves his ball security, I would easily place him inside my top 15-20 and (if) when he matures as a decision-maker, he could score within my top 8-12 backs.
This week’s Boiler Room examines three plays where his choices hurt his team and will continue to hurt them until he matures.
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