Alvin Kamara Drafted by New Orleans in Round 3

The second Vol is off the board: Alvin Kamara was taken by the New Orleans Saints early in the third round at #67.

Kamara, as many pundits will tell you, wasn’t presented as a feature back in his two years in Knoxville thanks to the presence of Jalen Hurd and the running skills of Josh Dobbs at quarterback. It’s a small sample size against several sub-par defenses, but what Kamara did when Hurd was injured and later off the team stands out: 127 yards on 18 carries at Texas A&M to go with 161 yards on eight catches. Ten carries for 128 yards against Kentucky. His chances were few, but he made the most of them.

Also, Drew Brees and the Saints will be sure to like this: in 2015 no SEC team threw to their running backs more than Tennessee. Kamara was targeted on 12.6% of Josh Dobbs’ passes that year and 14.3% in 2016. He’s a proven threat out of the backfield, and getting ready to join a crowded one in New Orleans with Mark Ingram and new arrival Adrian Peterson. But right away Kamara will have a chance to be the biggest weapon of the three in the passing game.