{"id":49506,"date":"2025-04-20T00:30:51","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T00:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=49506"},"modified":"2025-04-20T00:30:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T00:30:51","slug":"chiefs-analyst-identifies-hidden-gem-rb-fit-with-speed-that-rivals-tyreek-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=49506","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs Analyst Identifies &#8216;Hidden Gem&#8217; RB Fit With Speed That Rivals Tyreek Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Brashard-Smith-e1745093847942.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Brashard-Smith-e1745093847942.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Brashard-Smith-e1745093847942.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Brashard-Smith-e1745093847942.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Chiefs Analyst Identifies 'Hidden Gem' RB Fit With Speed That Rivals Tyreek Hill\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<p>SMU running back Brashard Smith was identified as a top fit for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL draft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to select a running back in the 2025 NFL Draft. But after listening to general manager Brett Veach address the media on April 17, it sounds like KC is willing to wait until day two or three of the draft to find another ball carrier.<\/p>\n<p>Veach took multiple opportunities to praise the depth of the 2025 RB class earlier this week, as many have throughout the pre-draft process, and he\u2019s right. This class is loaded with talent and that means a sleeper running back can be found in a later round.<\/p>\n<p>On April 16, KSHB 41 media member and analyst Nick Jacobs identified his \u201cbest fits\u201d for the Chiefs at running back, and the more under-the-radar selection was SMU playmaker Brashard Smith.<\/p>\n<p>For those that are unfamiliar with Jacobs\u2019 work, every year he scouts the incoming draft class, determining \u201cbest fits\u201d for Kansas City\u2019s offensive and defensive system. He then lists two fits for each position \u2014 one \u201cfavorite\u201d and one \u201chidden gem.\u201d The latter is typically a prospect that could fall to a lower round, like Smith.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSmith is arguably one of the most explosive running backs in this draft,\u201d Jacobs began his explanation. \u201cHe has speed that appears to rival Tyreek Hill on coaches\u2019 film in his stop-and-restart. Smith can [also] stretch out a defense and provides a wicked spin move to go with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The KC analyst concluded that Smith \u201cis a former wide receiver who already knows how to run great routes and can hit the turbo boost in the open field.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Brashard Smith\u2019s Explosiveness Ranked Top 10 in 2024<\/h2>\n<p>Jacobs stated that Smith is \u201carguably one of the most explosive running backs in this draft,\u201d but that distinction is actually statistically proven.<\/p>\n<p>According to Pro Football Focus, Smith\u2019s breakaway run percentage (43.1%) ranked ninth for all of college football RBs that played a minimum 50% of snaps.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the other members of this 2025 draft class that ranked above Smith in this area were Iowa\u2019s Kaleb Johnson (56.1%), Kansas State\u2019s DJ Giddens (54.9%), Boise State\u2019s Ashton Jeanty (52.6%), UCF\u2019s RJ Harvey (52.4%) and North Carolina\u2019s Omarion Hampton (43.9%).<\/p>\n<p>PFF\u2019s data also displays that Smith is more of a zone runner than a gap runner, with 142 zone runs in 2024 compared to just 85 gap runs.<\/p>\n<p>Smith\u2019s yards after contact average and PFF \u201celusive rating\u201d didn\u2019t rank as strongly as his breakaway percentage, but they weren\u2019t bad either. His average 3.34 yards after contact ranked 22nd for college RBs, as did his elusive rating of 77.1.<\/p>\n<p>Smith should also add a lot as a receiver, as Jacobs alluded. His 337 receiving yards ranked 14th for all collegiate running backs last year, and his 1.69 yards per reception ranked second among RBs that played 50% of snaps.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Jacobs\u2019 Favorite NFL Draft Fit for Chiefs at Running Back Is Omarion Hampton<\/h2>\n<p>As noted above, Jacobs also determined the best overall NFL draft fit for the Chiefs at running back, let\u2019s say all rounds are in play. For that honor, he chose the aforementioned Hampton, a likely first or high second rounder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHampton is a home run-hitting back,\u201d Jacobs wrote. \u201cHe has the ideal size, balance and acceleration to succeed. His lower legs have the necessary power to break through poor tackles. [And] his jump cut and acceleration out of it are impressive for his size. Hampton looks smooth as a pass catcher in the open field.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The only two scenarios where the Chiefs land Hampton is in round one \u2014 either at No. 31 overall or via trade up \u2014 or early round two if Kansas City were to trade down.<\/p>\n<p>Veach discussed the idea of trading out of the first round earlier this week.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Obermuller covers the NFL for Heavy.com, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus specialize on the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers, with expert knowledge on each based on years of coverage. An NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate, his previous bylines include Heavy on Jets, FanDuel&#8217;s The Duel, King Fantasy Sports and Pro Football Mania. More about Michael Obermuller<\/p>\n<h2>More Heavy on Chiefs News<\/h2>\n<p>Loading more stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Kansas City Chiefs media member and veteran analyst identified an explosive &#8220;hidden gem&#8221; at running back ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":49507,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Chiefs Analyst Identifies &#039;Hidden Gem&#039; RB Fit With Speed That Rivals Tyreek Hill - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=49506\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chiefs Analyst Identifies &#039;Hidden Gem&#039; 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