The Kansas City Chiefs have reached the Super Bowl in three straight seasons and they’ve managed to play in the AFC Championship Game in seven consecutive seasons. But their grip on the rest of the AFC has loosened some over the last 12 months. Kansas City had a gaudy record in 2024, but they were nowhere near as good as their record indicated and that was shown in their blowout loss to the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
The Bills and Ravens continue to be top contenders, and both franchises managed to improve their rosters this offseason. So, how do the Chiefs continue to remain on top in the AFC? By hitting on their late Day 3 draft picks. And it sure feels like they’ve done it once again.
Brashard Smith may have been the steal of the 2025 NFL
The Chiefs have made a concerted effort to get faster on offense, and that’s why the selection of Brashard Smith makes so much sense. The Chiefs used the No. 228 pick on Smith and it's unclear why he fell. He was incredibly productive during the 2024 season at SMU, totaling over 1,600 yards and scoring 18 touchdowns while making the transition to running back.
Smith ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the 2025 NFL Combine, and his speed absolutely shows up on tape. While he isn’t a between-the-tackles grinder, Smith is a dynamic receiver with the proven ability to hit home runs on the ground despite being new to the position. However, we've recently seen a transition like this work with Tyrone Tracy, successfully moving from wide receiver to running back at Iowa and then leading the Giants in rushing yards as a rookie. It's a tough move, but it has been accomplished before.
In a recent article by Field Yates of ESPN, he wrote about the selection of Smith by the Chiefs and why he believes the former SMU star could have an impact right away. Here is a snippet of what Yates had to say about Smith:
"There were several late-round running backs I could have chosen here, as the exceptional depth of the class pushed many of them down the board. Smith switched from wide receiver at Miami to running back at SMU, which speaks to his unique versatility that should lead to schemed touches for him in Kansas City. Smith is great after the catch and shows fantastic lateral agility and straight-line speed."Field Yates, ESPN
Step No. 1 for Smith is making the team, but we’ve seen Andy Reid and the Chiefs give late-round picks plenty of chances to do so. Look no further than Isiah Pacheco, who was also a late-round pick by the Chiefs. Smith is very different than the other running backs on the roster because he is a passing-game specialist who offers real speed at the position.
The Chiefs need their offense to be explosive again if they want to continue their dominance in the AFC. They can no longer just lean on their defense and ball-control offense if they want to raise another championship banner. Using a player like Smith more often could help the offense create more big plays, which is exactly what they couldn’t do last season.
Don’t be surprised if Smith ends up making the Week 1 roster for the Chiefs and has a bigger role than anyone expects during his rookie season. He is the type of player this offense has been missing over the past few seasons, and the Chiefs were able to steal him late on Day 3 of the NFL Draft.