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Chiefs invested heavily in undrafted sleeper at running back

By Sayre Bedinger

TAMPA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 23: Deneric Prince #8 of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane runs in a 27-yard touchdown during the first half against the South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium on October 23, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 23: Deneric Prince #8 of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane runs in a 27-yard touchdown during the first half against the South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium on October 23, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs got one of the top steals of the entire 2022 rookie class when they chose Rutgers running back Isiah Pacheco in the seventh round, pick no. 251 overall. Pacheco was just a few picks away from going completely undrafted, but the Chiefs scooped him up before a bidding war started. They were not able to find a way to fit 2023 NFL Draft hopeful Deneric Prince among their seven-player draft class, but they certainly paid him as though he was a major priority.

It’s not overly uncommon these days for some of the top undrafted free agents to get $200,000 or more in guarantees from the team that signs them, but it’s rare enough when you consider every team is probably signing 10-15 of these guys (if not more) and just a handful eclipse this particular mark each year.

Could UDFA Deneric Prince push former 1st-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire off the Chiefs roster?

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One thing we all know the Chiefs covet in prospects is speed, and Deneric Prince certainly has plenty of that. He ran a 4.41 at the Scouting Combine at 6-feet, 216 pounds. He obviously has a bit frame for the position and honestly compares pretty favorably to Pacheco in terms of his listee frame of 5-11, 215 pounds.

With Jerick McKinnon now coming back into the fold, you can’t help but wonder if the Chiefs are going to give themselves every opportunity for a guy like Prince to make the final roster, even if it means pushing Clyde Edwards-Helaire out. The Chiefs recently re-signed McKinnon and almost simultaneously declined their fifth-year option on the former first-round pick out of LSU.

To put the deal Deneric Prince got into perspective, look at the guarantees for Isiah Pacheco as an actual seventh-round draft pick. He received just over $79,000 in total guaranteed money at signing from the Chiefs compared to Prince receiving $231,000. For an undrafted player to receive almost triple the guaranteed money of an actual player is pretty wild, and something the NFL probably needs to consider going forward as the prices of these guys continues to rise year in and year out.

If you are an undrafted player receiving more than $100,000 in guarantees, it usually means that a team really wanted you or had to fight off other teams to get you. For Deneric Prince, it does feel odd that he wasn’t drafted. This is a guy who showed great flashes at Tulsa, he had production as a runner and receiver, he was invited to the Combine, and he put forth an elite RAS score.

So what gives?

The Kansas City Chiefs may have found a true gem on Day 3 once more. Only this time, they found him after the 2023 NFL Draft and not with one of the final picks in round seven. For Prince, it obviously pays a little to have gone undrafted. He got a good chunk of guaranteed money, and he’s going to a great situation in Kansas City where he might be able to jump in and earn some snaps.

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