Brashard Smith, despite being a mere seventh-round pick for the Kansas City Chiefs in the recently concluded draft, already has lofty expectations for himself. Speaking during rookie camp on Sunday, the running back commented on being compared to more experienced NFL peers.
“I’m going to show who I am for sure,” he said.
He proved himself to be a very versatile player throughout his college career. Initially a wide receiver and kick returner at Miami (Fla.), he transitioned to running back upon transferring to SMU. He is confident that his multifaceted playing style will aid his rise in the NFL.
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But besides his skill set, Smith also sees his experience with different coaching systems as another advantage:
“Going into college, I got recruited for slot receiver… I was moving around a lot… It was a great experience. I feel like we at Miami, it was more just pound the ball more. And when I went over to SMU, it was more spread. So I feel like it was a great experience for me.”
Chiefs scouting director reflects on how Brashard Smith landed in Kansas City
Everyone will remember Brashard Smith as the 228th pick of the 2025 draft, but not many will know how he landed in Kansas City. The Dallas Cowboys originally owned that pick, but then it was traded, along with the 24th pick, to the Detroit Lions for the 29th and 73rd picks.
Then, the Lions traded it, along with the 182nd pick, to the New England Patriots for the 171st pick. Finally, the Patriots traded it to the Chiefs for the 251st and 257th picks (Mr. Irrelevant).
Reflecting on the trade, Ryne Nutt, the Chiefs’ director of player personnel/college scouting, revealed in a recent online conference that Smith was the organization’s initial plan for the fifth round. However, general manager Brett Veach had him reconsider and pivot toward Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa:
“That would’ve been the time to take a running back, but when you have another player that is higher on the board, Brett Veach likes to go by, ‘Listen, we’ve woked on this board for eight months, let’s let this thing speak to us.'”
“So we took the player we had slightly higher, and then it allowed Brett to refocus and say, ‘Okay, I’m going to take a running back now (that) I know who I want.’ We get to the seventh round, and Brett felt like giving up another seventh-round pick to move up was well worth it to get the kid that we liked in the mid-rounds.”
