Edwards-Helaire was born and grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and grew up with future high school and LSU teammate Derrius Guice. He attended Catholic High School and became the first freshman in then head coach Dale Weiner's 29 year tenure to play on the varsity football team as a freshman. As a senior, Edwards-Helaire rushed 58 times for 496 yards and 10 touchdowns and was named the MVP of the 5A State Championship Game after catching eight passes for 161 yards and rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown in the Bears 31–28 over Archbishop Rummel High School. Rated a four-star recruit, Edwards-Helaire committed to play college football at Louisiana State University.
College career
As a true freshman Edwards-Helaire played in all 13 of the Tigers' games, playing mostly on special teams and rushing nine times for 31 yards. As a sophomore, Edwards-Helaire finished second on the team with 658 rushing yards and seven touchdowns with 11 receptions for 96 yards and also returned 17 kicks for 416 yards. He recorded his first 100-yard game in a 38–21 win over Louisiana Tech, gaining 136 yards with two touchdowns on 20 carries. Edwards-Helaire rushed for 145 yards in LSU's 36–16 victory over second-ranked Georgia. Edwards-Helaire was named LSU's starting running back and on the watchlists for the Maxwell and Paul Hornung Awards going into his junior season. He played a major role in LSU's win over third-ranked Alabama, rushing for 103 yards and three touchdowns and catching nine passes for 77 yards and a touchdown in the 46–41 victory and was named the SEC co-Offensive Player of the Week along with LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. Edwards-Helaire finished the regular season with 1,414 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 215 carries, 453 receiving yards and a touchdown on 55 receptions and returned 16 kicks for 214 yards and was a consensus first team All-SEC selection at running back and was named second team by the league's coaches as an all-purpose performer and was also the only SEC running back to be named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award. After playing sparingly against Oklahoma in the 2019 Peach Bowl due to a hamstring injury, Edwards-Helaire rushed 16 times for 110 yards and caught five passes for 54 yards in LSU's 42–25 win over Clemson in the 2020 National Championship Game. Following the end of the season Edwards-Helaire announced that he would forgo his senior season to enter the 2020 NFL Draft.
Professional career
Edwards-Helaire was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round with the 32nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Personal life
In December 2018, Edwards-Helaire was involved in a near-fatal self shooting in Scotlandville, Louisiana. His surname “Edwards-Helaire”, is made up of two last names; Edwards from his biological father and Helaire from his stepfather. He legally had changed to a hyphenated name after meeting with an attorney at fourteen years old. He kept his biological father's last name out of respect while honoring his stepfather for his consistent presence during his upbringing.
