Clemson football: Potential landing spots for Travis Etienne in 2021 NFL Draft

Travis Etienne 2021 NFL Draft landing spot No. 2: Arizona Cardinals

Last offseason, the Arizona Cardinals bet on Kenyan Drake to be their workhorse back after his first season with the franchise went swimmingly. Unfortunately, his second campaign in the desert was less impressive as Chase Edmonds was actually the better running back in the offense.

With the team likely to move on from Drake this offseason, you have to wonder if the team believes Edmonds can be a RB1 in the league or if he’s best in a complementary role. The latter is where I tend to fall, which makes someone like Etienne fall into play for them.

In Kliff Kingsbury’s high-powered offense that’s all about quick strikes, a player like Etienne could thrive. His ability to keep opposing defenses on their heels with his explosiveness and versatility would add a dynamic to the Cardinals offense that could make them quite tough to stop.

Travis Etienne 2021 NFL Draft landing spot No. 1: Miami Dolphins

For all of the hope and optimism that surrounds the Miami Dolphins right now as they are nearing the end of a substantial rebuild, the backfield has remained a weakness. Yes, they got some flashes from Myles Gaskin but there has been nothing consistently reliable coming out of the running back room.

Especially if the Dolphins elect to retain Tua Tagovailoa, that’s something that must change. Young quarterbacks substantially benefit from the added threat of the run and having a dangerous weapon in the passing attack coming out of the backfield. That fits what Etienne does best.

Moreover, Miami is flush with draft capital as they will be on the clock in the first two days of the 2021 NFL Draft more than any other team. That should give them multiple cracks at Etienne and they would be wise to bring him into the fold if he’s there for them to select.

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