The Kansas City Chiefs drafted SMU running back Brashard Smith in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. … and the hopes are already high.
Smith spent the first three years of his college career at Miami, where he played wide receiver, tallying 770 yards and four touchdowns on 69 catches in three seasons. Smith transferred to SMU for his senior year, where he transitioned to running back and ran for 1,332 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Smith has two traits that will make him a standout player in Kansas City's offense: elite speed and third-down ability as a receiver out of the backfield.
At the NFL Combine, Smith ran a 4.39 40-yard dash. Smith actually had career-highs in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns in college after moving over to running back. As a back in SMU's offense, Smith had 39 catches for 327 yards and four touchdowns.
Former NFL defensive back and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick had high praise for the former Mustang, highlighting him as a rookie to watch in 2025, even adding on a superstar pro comparison.
“Keep an eye on this kid Brashard Smith from SMU, who they drafted in the seventh [round],” Riddick said on NFL Live. “He is an Alvin Kamara clone with like 4.3 speed.”
“They have got a lot of things going on in Kansas City,” Riddick continued: “Hey man, they may have addressed their issues as good as anybody.”
Kamara is an interesting comparison for Smith. Kamara has actually never had a 1,000-yard rushing season, but on the flip side, has never had less than 1,100 scrimmage yards. The five-time Pro Bowler has been one of the best dual-threat running backs in the NFL. While his yards-per-carry numbers don't jump off the stat sheet with just a 4.4 mark, he's tallied over 11,000 scrimmage yards in his career.
Kamara's numbers in college as a runner weren't close to Smith's, in his final season at Tennessee, Kamara ran for 596 yards on 103 carries, finding the end zone nine times. In the receiving game he was on par with Smith, making 40 catches for 392 yards and four touchdowns.
While Smith's expectations shouldn't be earning a Pro Bowl in each of his first five seasons as Kamara did, if the Chiefs can turn a seventh-round selection into anything resembling Alvin Kamara, it's a home run pick.
