2025 NFL Draft: Chiefs Hope Brashard Smith Is The Next Isiah Pacheco

Forbes

27-04-2025

Brashard Smith of the Southern Methodist Mustangs carries the ball against the Stanford Cardinal ... More during the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium on Oct. 19, 2024. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Before the 2025 NFL Draft, Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said that running back was the draft's deepest position.
'It's a good likelihood that one of those players ends up on our roster,' Veach said. 'And hopefully they're a dynamic returner as well."
Veach was a man of his word — even if it took until the Chiefs' final pick (228th overall) for them to select a running back. That's when they chose Brashard Smith in the draft's final round.
That seventh round has been good for Veach and the Chiefs when it comes to running backs.
Smith is the first running back to be selected by the Chiefs in the seventh round since Isiah Pacheco was taken 251st overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Pacheco has proven to be of great value. Despite playing on an affordable four-year, $3.7 million rookie deal, which expires after the 2025 season, he started 11 and 13 games his first two years and gained 830 and 935 rushing yards, respectively.
That doesn't include four playoff games when he surpassed 75 rushing yards. Most notably, he helped spur the Chiefs' comeback victory in Super Bowl LVII with 76 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Pacheco was the player Smith's college head coach, SMU's Rhett Lashlee, used as a comparison for Smith.
'I heard Isiah Pacheco all season. It was kind of cool hearing that because he's a great back,' Smith said. 'It felt good.'
The Chiefs felt so good about Smith that they traded up to snare him. The Chiefs sent their original 2025 seventh-round picks (251st and 257th overall) to the New England Patriots for their seventh-round pick (228th overall).
In his lone season at SMU, the school both owner Clark Hunt and wide receiver Rashee Rice attended, the converted wide receiver set the single-season program record for all-purpose yards with 1,977.
The third-team, All-American and first-team, All-ACC back had 1,329 rushing yards (5.7 yards per carry) and 14 rushing touchdowns his senior season and then went on to run the 40 in 4.39 seconds at the 2025 NFL Combine.
'He's an explosive athlete,' Chiefs southwest regional scout Jason Lamb said. 'When he gets the ball in his hands, he makes big plays happen. So, it's a lot of fun to watch.'
Smith will be part of a deep running back group, which includes Pacheco, Kareem Hunt and Elijah Mitchell, who the Chiefs signed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract in March.
Mitchell rushed for 963 yards in just 11 games as a San Francisco 49ers rookie, but knee and hamstring injuries ended his 2022 and 2024 seasons, respectively.
'When he's healthy,' Veach said, 'he provides an explosive dynamic in both the run and pass game.'
Given his roots as a college wide receiver, Smith could emerge as a sure-handed, third-down back.
But even if it's hard this year for Smith to find reps in a crowded backfield, he should contribute on special teams — the aspiration that Veach had outlined during his pre-draft press conference.
During his four years in college, Smith totaled 53 kickoff returns for 1,295 yards and a touchdown.
'He's been pretty productive doing that,' Lamb said. 'Our coaches here are pretty excited to see him in that role as well.'