The Kansas City Chiefs may have found their running back of the future in Isiah Pacheco, but he regressed in 2024 due to an injury that kept him out most of the season.
The team decided to get some insurance in the backfield in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft when they took SMU running back Brashard Smith. While it may not seem at first that he will get many snaps, the young back seems like he will do anything to prove himself.
“Whenever I’m on the field, I’m going to bring some juice,” the 22-year-old said to the media in his first interview after being drafted.
He also has said that his coach at SMU compared him to Pacheco.
That’s a head-turning revelation and a bold take. … putting the “brash” in “Brashard.”
Fans are very familiar with Pacheco’s style of running, and many have said that he seems “angry at the ground” whenever he is going on a big run. Now it seems like Smith is wanting to bring that same fire.
The seventh-round pick finished his one and only season at SMU with 1,332 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. He was also able to contribute in the passing game with 327 yards and four touchdowns through the air.
While Pacheco’s job as the starting back seems to us to be solidified, he might have to keep his eye on Smith and how much he does with the snaps he is given. … Because if the kid brings the “juice” like he says he will, the Chiefs will have no choice but to raise his snap count – and maybe KC will employ two Pacheco-like backs.
