Alvin Kamara, a former Tennessee football star in the backfield, is preparing for his ninth season in the NFL.
With every snap played for the Saints, he has produced 6,779 rushing yards and 60 scores on the ground in his career. He’s also a threat through the air, racking up 4,762 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns.
This production has resulted in him still being considered one of the top players at the position in the sport. ESPN ranked Kamara as the No. 10 running back in the league, as voted on by NFL executives, coaches and scouts.
The reasoning for Kamara being this high is the production he’s been able to manage despite not much of a supporting cast.
“Some of the elite traits are still there,” an NFL offensive coach said in the ESPN article. “He didn’t have much of an offensive line or supporting cast last year. But he can still take a screen for big yardage and still has great contact balance.”
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Kamara began his college career at Alabama under Nick Saban. Injury shut him down for the season and forced him to redshirt, though. He transferred to Hutchinson CC to continue his career. Following a breakout year, he transferred to Tennessee.
With the Vols, Kamara played two seasons. In 2015, he played in 13 games while rushing for 698 yards and seven touchdowns. His 6.5 yards per carry was the third-best in the SEC that season. He also caught 34 passes for 291 yards and three scores. As a punt returner, he managed a touchdown.
The following year, Kamara was a key part of Tennessee’s great start to the year under Butch Jones. He played in 11 games while starting in seven and finished with a team-high 1,188 all-purpose yards. This came on 596 rushing yards, 392 receiving yards, 184 punt return yards and 16 kickoff return yards. He also totaled 13 touchdowns.
Kamara entered the NFL draft following the season and was picked by New Orleans with the No. 67 overall selection in the third round. He was promptly named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year while being named to the Pro Bowl. He went on to become the first running back in NFL history to total 500 rushing and receiving yards in each of his first four seasons.
Kamara is a five-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time Second-Team All-Pro.
