Kimani Vidal

Kimani Vidal finished second in the FBS in forced missed tackles (94) in 2023. The 5-foot-8 and 218-pound rusher is built with a stout compact frame, which aided him in his efforts to 1,661 rushing yards (second in the FBS) in 2023. That awarded him a 31% dominator rating in his final season at Troy (fifth-highest in 2023) after a 24% dominator rating in 2022. Concerns are his bottom-10 yards per play at 2.34 and the level of competition faced at Troy. Vidal is on a wide-open RB depth chart against two former Ravens RBs: Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins. You don't need to squint too hard to see him cracking the starting lineup or at least earning some type of 1A-1B role in an offense that wants to establish the run ad nauseam. It's impossible to ignore LAC as one of the better spots for him to produce in Year 1, given that Edwards nor Dobbins have been long-time starters. Both have also struggled to stay healthy.

Downhill pinball. Vidal will ricochet off incoming defenders and produce hard-fought yards with a nasty stiff arm and solid footwork. Give him a runway, and he'll chew up chunk yardage. Vidal has enough juice to bounce a run outside when needed, but he's at his best when he builds up some steam and penetrates the second level of the defense. Vidal isn't a home run hitter, though. His 35.2% breakaway percentage in college tells the tale. Vidal is built to churn out 5-15 yard runs with frequency. He has only an average burst and lacks a second gear to run away from defenders in the open field. Vidal is caught behind religiously. He's a volume rusher who's proven he can hold up to the workload, with at least 231 carries in each of the last two seasons and at least 23 carries in 57% of his games in his final collegiate season. Dynasty Outlook: The small school volume back sadly fell all the way to the sixth round of the NFL Draft, but he landed in one of the juiciest spots available to a rookie running back. J.K. Dobbins was brought in with a one-year deal with no guaranteed money on it. Gus Edwards got a three-year pact that essentially is a one-year contract, as the team could move on from him after 2024 with a little penalty if they wanted to. Vidal has proven his ability to handle the load in college and could easily do so again in the NFL. Vidal will drop into the third round of every rookie draft. If you want heavy exposure to him in dynasty (you should), it won't be hard. If you can get into the early/middle of the third round of rookie drafts, you should be able to acquire his services for your dynasty team.