Kenyan Drake: The Arizona Cardinals Next X-Factor

Kenyan Drake found a sense of belonging in the desert after being traded from the Miami Dolphins in the middle of last season.

Kenyan Drake was unable to muster up quality production in six games with Miami, but that could be attributed to the lack of touches. He was only given 47 carries during his stint in South Beach last season. After the Cardinals trade, the tides for Drake changed for the better.

Once Drake landed in Arizona, he hit the ground running in his Cardinals debut against the San Francisco 49ers. Drake was a complete weapon against San Fran. He rushed for 115 yards on 15 carries along with 52 yards receiving on four receptions. He arrived on the scene with a bang.

Heading into a full season with the Cardinals, Drake is poised to be the lead back in Arizona. After a successful eight games in 2019, it raises the question, can he build off last year’s success?

Reasons for optimism are real and warranted. Drake is a perfect fit for head coach Kliff Kingsbury‘s offense, which is exhibited by his production in half a season with the team. Drake’s vision, quickness, elusiveness, and burst makes him a dangerous weapon in the proper offense. His dynamic skill-set can create mismatches all over the field.

In the tweet below, Drake displays vision, quickness, and the requisite burst to explode upfield after forcing a missed tackle.

Drake has the potential to gain 1,500 total yards from scrimmage. With the talented receivers on offense, Drake is expected to have lighter defensive fronts. He can exploit the defensive game plans focusing on his receiving counterparts with consistency in the ground and air attacks.

Kenyan Drake has homerun hitting abilities and if defenses do not close the gaps, he will take it to the house. We haven’t seen the full impact that Drake offers to an offense. He could be a name mentioned as a catalyst for this offense’s 2020 success.