25 Days of Draftmas: Bruce Anderson is a running back whose best traits may be as a wide receiver

A very Merry Draftmas to you! It’s 25 Days of Draftmas on Arrowhead Pride, where we’ll be giving you a Kansas City Chiefs draft prospect every day in April leading up to the NFL Draft. You’ll get a daily prospect profile like this one right up until Draft Day.

Bruce Anderson, running back

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

5’11” | 209 lbs | North Dakota State

Projected draft range: day three

I would take him: day three

One-sentence bio: 2017 and 2018 All-MVFC Second Team and Senior Bowl participant.

One-sentence scouting report: a running back with good hands whose best traits may route-running and pass-catching.

One play:

How he fits in KC: Anderson’s most intriguing traits as are a route runner and pass catcher. He looks to have natural hands that he’s willing to extend beyond his frame with confidence. High-points passes like a wide receiver. That may seem like a throwaway quality, but it really isn’t. It’s valuable. Teams can trust him in the passing game and it’s not a strain for him to be involved.

Because of the offense that he ran at North Dakota State, Anderson didn’t get an overwhelming amount of opportunities to showcase his ability. However, despite limited utilization, ran a variety of routes and showed promise. Anderson showed sharp breaks out of his routes and was able to separate. He efficiently executed seam routes out of the backfield. As a whole, he averaged 16.6 yards per catch his senior year.

In the run game, Anderson showed good footwork with traffic around his feet. He possesses average to above-average lateral agility. He had enough speed to get the edge in the run game. Anderson’s contact balance is average to above average.

Anderson is a player that Andy Reid and company could trust with a well-rounded route tree both split out and out of the backfield. Anderson told us at the Senior Bowl that he models some of his game after Alvin Kamara for his ability to work in the slot. He could create a dynamic element to the running back responsibilities in the passing game. Anderson has more potential as a receiver than runner. He’ll never be a guy that will lead a running back committee but is handed the ball off more as a tendency breaker than as a primary function of his role. He’d be an interesting addition in day three.

Want to read more player profiles from Arrowhead Pride’s 25 Days of Draftmas? Click here for the complete list. And to stay informed on the players in which the Chiefs have shown interest, be sure to check out AP’s Chiefs draft prospect visit and workout tracker.

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