KANSAS CITY, MO - AUGUST 10: Darwin Thompson #25 of the Kansas City Chiefs rushes in for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium on August 10, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Kansas City Chiefs running back, Darwin Thompson is on a mission this NFL season.
Thompson turned heads when it seemed as if he said that he wanted to be better than Detroit Lions NFL Hall of Famer, Barry Sanders.
For those tardy to the party here’s what Thompson told SB Nation right before he was drafted:
“When I got to Utah State, it was the same offense that the league is really transitioning into — the spread. I think you’ll see a lot more value in the running back position as that gives running backs more running lanes; even more in the NFL with the hashes being so close. Just imagine Barry Sanders in today’s offense. He would kill the game.
“That’s what I plan on doing.”
Thompson tells me that he didn’t say he wanted to be better than Sanders and he was misquoted.
More on that in a minute.
A sixth-round draft pick in the spring’s 2019 NFL Draft, Thompson put on a show in the Chiefs’ preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
A 5’8 speed rusher out of Utah State, Thompson caught eyes when he scored a 51-yard touchdown in that preseason game.
Didn’t take @DTRAINN5 long to make a first impression at Arrowhead! 🚂
We discussed that and more in our Q&A in Del City, Oklahoma at Jeff Richards’ football camp.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: First of all congratulations on being drafted.
Darwin Thompson: I appreciate it.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: You really think that you can be the Chiefs’ Barry Sanders?
Darwin Thompson: What I said was if Barry Sanders was in the offenses of today’s NFL; spread offenses, he would kill the game. That’s my goal to be like Barry Sanders in the NFL. To reach that experience in the NFL, I’m able to make people miss in spread offenses things such as that. I’m basically a one of a kind player that’s hard to come by. I want to be my own type of running back, be a great.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: So your words got twisted?
Darwin Thompson: Yeah. My words got twisted. I didn’t say that. People ran with it. I said if Barry Sanders was in today’s offense, he would kill the game. I want to be like Barry Sanders.
DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 18: Barry Sanders shakes hands with Lem Barney (R) during the Pro Football Hall of Fame half time show during the Chicago Bears v Detroit Lions game at Ford Field on October 18, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: You’re young. No shade thrown. People who are born around 97 or 98 look at Michael Jordan and at that age he was playing for the Washington Wizards. Comparatively, I’m guessing that you probably watched a lot of tape of Barry Sanders on YouTube. What stood out to you?
Darwin Thompson: The way he can make people miss, continuously and making you miss every play. There’s a chance for Barry Sanders to score. I really can’t say, the argument is who the best player in the NBA is. It’s between Jordan, LeBron and Kobe. I was only able to watch Kobe Bryant, I wasn’t able to watch Jordan. So I can’t say Jordan is better. But Barry Sanders I study his game, you can ask my JuCo (Junior College) teammates. I wake up and go to sleep watching NFL football plays. It’s either Abdullah, Jared McCannon, Or Barry Sanders because I study the game. When I say I want to be like Barry Sanders, I mean that. I would go out to the front yard and mimic his moves and watch his film over and over until I can get it down. I think that’s what has gotten me to the level I’m at now. Just mimicking his moves and pushing myself to be that much better every day in practice.