Oct. 5, 2018 USU vs BYU Football-56

Darwin Thompson goes in 6th round to Chiefs, 5 Aggies sign UFA deals

While many seven-round mock drafts pegged up to four Utah State football players as potential NFL Draft picks, running back Darwin Thompson was the only former Aggies who heard his name called over the weekend.

Thompson, who accumulated 1,395 yards from scrimmage and 16 touchdowns in his lone season in Logan, had to wait until the final pick of the sixth round, 214th overall, until the Kansas City Chiefs claimed him.

After Thompson’s selection, Trey Kozlol, a national scout for the Chiefs, spoke to the media about the team’s newest addition to the backfield. Kozlol  talked about how selecting the former Aggie was a bit of a directional change from what Kansas City has in its backfield currently.

“He’s almost a change of pace from what we have, which is nice,” Kozlol said. “He is a big play threat, he was always a big play threat for (Utah State) so it’s a little bit different than what we had so it gives us a little bit different dimension in terms of the passing game and guys who can operate out in space.”

Two main concerns pushed Thompson toward the back of the draft despite being one of the leaders in yards per carry in the NCAA and one of the better players in yards after first contact. First was his size. At 5-foot-8, 198 lbs, Thompson doesn’t fit the physical profile of many NFL backs, who usually hover around six feet tall and slightly over 200 lbs.

Thompson did his best to alleviate concerns with an impressive pro day performance in March, which helped the Chiefs notice him. Kozlol conceded that Thompson is “obviously a little undersized,” but stuck up for the short back by noting that Thompson has an impressive build for one so short, calling him “a real rocked up dude.” Kozlol also brought up how shifty and quick-footed Thompson is on film and how he runs with power and a low center of gravity — good qualities for an NFL running back.

The second concern surrounding the native of Oklahoma was the fact that he played just one year of Division I college ball and thus had a small body of work. Thompson spent two seasons in the junior college ranks and one at USU before going pro.

“You look at his body of work and what he was able to accomplish in (the Mountain West) on a very good football team this year was very impressive,” Kozlol said. “Yea the body of work is a little bit smaller but what he did and the opportunities he was given I thought he made the most of.”

The 23-year old Thompson will join a backfield that lost two of its top three running backs at the end of last year and the offseason. The Chiefs cut Pro Bowl RB Kareem Hunt late last season after allegations of domestic abuse came to light and KC did not re-sign veteran Spencer Ware.

That leaves Damien Williams as the top returner. Williams started the last three games of the regular season and both playoff games for Kansas City, carrying the ball 69 times for 362 yards and five TDs in that span. The Chiefs also signed former San Francisco 49ers starter Carlos Hyde this offseason. Hyde posted two 900-yard seasons on 4.2 yards per carry with the 49ers but ran for just 571 yards for the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018.

Five former Aggies sign with NFL teams

Though just one USU player was among the 254 draft selections, five players as of Saturday evening have found their way to NFL rosters. Dax Raymond, Ron’quavion Tarver, Jontrell Rocquemore, Aaron Wade and Gaje Ferguson will all get a shot at NFL glory, but first, they’ll go through the proving grounds and try to make the final 53-man roster on their respective squads.

While five players were signed and six 2018 Aggies overall made it to the league, only three teams signed a player from Utah State: the Chicago Bears (Raymond and Tarver), the Cleveland Browns (Rocquemore and Wade) and the Kansas City Chiefs (Ferguson and Thompson).