Why Creed Humphrey could be seizing the starting OC role: KC Laboratory Film Room

Humphrey's IQ and technique should lead to instant success in the NFL as a run blocker.

The Kansas City Chiefs are entering the short break between voluntary minicamp and involuntary minicamp - which is set to start later this week - and it’s a perfect time to continue our film review series covering the team’s rookie draft class.

There isn’t always a ton of information to be taken away from minicamp - especially when it’s optional - but the Chiefs may have divulged a little more information than they normally do this year. Rookie center Creed Humphrey has taken the vast majority of first team reps as OC for the team during minicamp so far. It’s already quite rare for a rookie to be given this honor this early by Andy Reid but the lack of reps for others in the same role is just as telling.

Creed Humphrey must be really impressing the coaching staff to not only get the opportunities but to also keep anyone else from eating into his reps. We won’t know for sure until we get into training camp towards the end of July but all signs point to the rookie being a day one starter along the offensive line.

With that in mind, let’s dive into the first part of this KC Laboratory Film Room. In this first part of this video series, the focus is going to center around Humphrey’s ability and usage as a run blocker while at Oklahoma and we’ll follow-up with video on pass protection later this week!

High level execution as a run blocker

As a run blocker, Humphrey isn’t a highlight machine like fellow rookie Trey Smith. Instead, he’s much more technical and a position based blocker that is just constantly in the way of a defender. His ability to consistently make difficult blocks look effortless and adjust to defenses on the fly allowed Lincoln Riley to create one of the most feared run games in college football. He may not “Wow” fans with raw power and wasn’t given a ton of opportunity to showcase his elite athleticism in the open field, but he will operate as a lynchpin of a run game with his technique and understanding of the game.

Opening up the playbook

In the past, the Chiefs OL room has been rather specialized in terms of their skills and what they excelled in. It created good team synergy but also boxed the Chiefs run game into a box and defenses begin to key in on their zone running game. The last couple seasons they began to show signs of shifting away from being that specialized but they didn’t have the right horses in the stable to make a full transition. In 2021 that should change with the new additions along the OL, one of those players being Creed Humphrey who helped open up the run playbook at Oklahoma.

Matt Lane @ChiefinCarolina

OU's run game is a treat to watch but so much of it was dependent on Creed Humphrey to erase anything on the backside of some slower developing runs.

One of the staples in OU’s run game was GT Counter - as well a handful of other variants of Power - which was only able to work because of Humphrey’s ability to erase the backside of the play. With so many pulling OL in their run game, Humphrey was often asked to seal the backside of the play while the slower developing run was able to develop. This worked in conjunction with a heavy dose of Zone-Read, Inside Zone, and other variants of Power to create an incredibly diverse rushing attack for OU with Humphrey being the common denominator over the last three seasons.

That ability to be the pivot in zone running schemes, the play-slide climbing OL, or the seal blocker give Humphrey a very versatile skillset to operate between schemes. In the past, the Chiefs had emphasized zone based blockers and while he can slot into that role, it’s the ability as a gap-scheme blocker that should be eye opening for Chiefs fans.

Adapting to ever changing defenses

Humphrey’s ability to play across varying types of blocking schemes is special but equally impressive is how he is able to translate whiteboard work onto the field. He always understands his assignment on any given play and is more than capable of executing it, as seen above. The next step is processing the game in real time and dealing with the ever changing picture on the field.

Matt Lane @ChiefinCarolina

Major theme in Humphrey's tape is the ability to adapt post-snap as defenders exchange and shift gaps. Rarely seems unsure who to pick-up and is always quick to adjust his angle if need be.

Plays can be drawn up in the classroom all day but once you hit the field, defenders rarely are exactly where they are expected to be. This has almost no effect on Humphrey as he’s able to quickly alter his path or aiming point and continue to follow through with his assignment. Whether that be skipping down a gap when down blocking a backside defender, transitioning from combo-blocking a frontside defensive tackle to the backside DT on a slant, or any other challenge a defense might send his way.

Humphrey’s mental processing is off the chart both pre- and post-snap which allows a ton of pressure to placed on his shoulders in the run game. This, of course, is made easier when you are an elite athlete with flexibility and explosion off the charts which is the case here. Combining the athletic ceiling and the mental processing floor and there should be no surprise Humphrey is pushing for an early starting role in KC.

Nuanced technician

Before we start writing up the Hall of Fame ticket, we do have to touch briefly on some hurdles that may bestow Humphrey in the NFL. As mentioned, he isn’t a highlight factory in the run game rarely blowing defenders off the line of scrimmage or being put in position to showcase elite range into the second level. He’s no deficient in either area but there isn’t a level of dominance that would normally exude from such a high quality run blocker. So where is it that Humphrey does shine to allow him to be successful?

It’s with his technique and IQ (which we’ve already touched on). The down to down technical consistency is there for Humphrey but it’s more than that. It’s the little nuances such as using a skip-step to close the gap to his OG before climbing to the second level, it’s the understanding of leverage and working his hands and hips in unison when engaging a defender, and the advanced techniques such using a slingshot technique to seal off an aggressive defender.

When you combine the attention to detail, understanding of body movement, and technical prowess you get a run blocker who is able to excel at a high level even without a rolodex of highlights.

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We’ll wrap up the Creed Humphrey Film Room series later this week as we dive into pass protection and what he can mean for the Chiefs in 2021.