Comparisons Between Rookie and Chiefs RB Pacheco

The Kansas City Chiefs got their first look at their newest rookie running back over the weekend at the Chiefs' rookie minicamp. The latest running back is drawing comparisons to Chiefs starting running back Isiah Pacheco. That is a good thing to have if you are coming into the NFL. Can lightning strike twice for the Chiefs with their new running back?

Brashard Smith was drafted by the Chiefs in the last round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Smith was seen as another steal for the Chiefs. Smith was expected to go much higher in the draft, but when the Chiefs saw him still there in the seventh round, they could not miss out on the opportunity to take him.

The first comparison is clear and obvious for Pacheco and Smith. Pacheco was also a seventh-round pick of the Chiefs back in the 2022 NFL Draft. And they have similar running styles and are both good in the passing game as well.

Consider the similarities: Pass-catching prowess. Quickness. Seventh-round draft picks. And now, one year later — teammates," said Jayna Bardahl of The Athletic.

But at rookie minicamp Sunday, Smith didn’t compare himself to any NFL running backs. Instead, Smith was ready to set himself apart on his second day of initiation to the Chiefs’ playbook.

“I’m going to show who I am,” he said. “There are not a lot of running backs that have receiving skills and running back skills. So I feel like just coming in and I can contribute for sure with my skill set.”

Head coach Andy Reid was on the same page, saying he “probably hasn’t seen enough” of Smith to compare him to anyone else

“Some of the backs have a low center of gravity; they can kind of move where they can drop their weight a little bit,” Reid said. “It looks like he has that, now nobody has hit him, so it will be a little different story there. And it looks like he has good hands."

“Getting everything down as far as the playbook, I feel like it will come natural,” Smith said. “The first time (I looked at it) I was like, ‘Whoa,’ but just taking it day by day, it gets better.”

It doesn’t come naturally to all, but Smith said his adaptability could work to his advantage as he transitions to the NFL and leaves comparisons behind him.

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