Chiefs Rookie Carson Steele Draws Comparison To Mike Alstott After Incredible Preseason Performance

Slowly but surely, fullbacks have become a dying breed in the NFL. In 2023, only 12 NFL teams used a fullback and only 10 played more than 10 percent of their team’s offensive snaps per ESPN.

But Kansas City Chiefs rookie Carson Steele might just be the position’s savior.

Steele, an undrafted free agent out of UCLA, drew comparisons to Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Mike Alstott after a dominant preseason performance against the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.

Steele, who is technically listed as a running back, carried the ball four times for 50 yards and a touchdown. That brought his preseason total up to 11 carries for 87 yards and two touchdowns.

But like Alstott, it was his physicality that stood out the most, with 81 of his 87 yards coming after contact.

For those of us of a certain age, Alstott was a cult hero. But for those unlucky to have not seen him play, think of a human battering ram.

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Is A Big Fan Of Rookie Carson Steele

Alstott checked in 12 pounds heavier than Steele in their pre-draft measurables (240 vs. 228), but Steele has the edge in several other categories.

They both ran a 4.75-second 40-yard dash. But Steele benched 225 pounds 28 times, compared to 24 for Alstott. And Steele has a 4.5-inch higher vertical leap (37.5 vs. 33.0).

“We’ll evaluate him, but he looked good tonight,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said on Steele on Thursday night. “Physical kid. I know the guys were excited when he was carrying it. But we’ll see. He’s a good football player, though. It didn’t look like they really wanted to tackle him, so that’s a plus if you’re a running back.”

Steele played his final season of college football at UCLA after transferring from Ball State, where he was named first-team All-MAC in 2022. Reid says the move showed him that Steele is unafraid of competition.

“If he’d stayed at Ball State, he probably would have gone down as one of the great ones at the university there,” he stated. “But he transferred. And then he ended up playing there at UCLA, and that’s saying something from an experience standpoint with a bigger school. But we knew he could run the football. It was his ability to pass-protect and play special teams and do those things, and he’s done a pretty good job with all that.”