Kansas City Chiefs use gifts from the NFL to trade up and find their next Isiah Pacheco on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft

The Kansas City Chiefs‘ first and only seventh-round pick is officially in after trading picks Nos. 251 and 257 to the New England Patriots. It’s their second trade with the Pats during the 2025 NFL Draft.

With the 228th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select SMU RB Brashard Smith.

The Chiefs used two compensatory picks awarded by the NFL, No. 251 and No. 257 (Mr. Irrelevant), to move up to this pick.

Everything to know about SMU RB Brashard Smith

Age: 22 (04/11/2003)

“For a player who was playing running back for the first time, Smith made the transition surprisingly well. He was the engine behind the 11-win Mustang team that made a playoff run. In 14 games, Smith rushed for 1,332 yards and 14 touchdowns. His receiving impact also showed up, hauling in 39 receptions for 327 yards and four more scores.

While Smith isn’t a very big running back at 5-10 and 194 pounds, he showed a naturalness as a runner that was very surprising. Smith brings a lot of athleticism to the table, including 4.38 forty-yard dash speed, which he showed off again at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. He created a ton of huge plays in 2024.” – A to Z Sports’ Ryan Roberts

Why does SMU RB Brashard Smith make sense for the Chiefs?

Chiefs GM Brett Veach admitted during his pre-draft press conference that he falls in line with groupthink on the 2025 running back class. So, naturally, he waited until the end of the draft to select one.

“The running back class is probably the deepest [group] in the draft,” Veach said. “I think you can get a really good player from rounds one through five. I feel good about the running back stack. . .”

Smith is a former wide receiver converted to the running back position, so he’s a natural fit for Kansas City’s pass-heavy offense. He was one of the last running backs of note available in the 2025 NFL Draft, so it made sense for the Chiefs to go up and snag him. It happening so closely to the Seattle Seahawks‘ pick of Miami RB Damien Martinez suggests Smith might not have been who they hoped would fall.