The Chiefs love after-the-catch ability shown by Jalen Royals and Brashard Smith

Although the Kansas City Chiefs largely focused on the linemen and defense in last weekend’s NFL Draft, the team did add two offensive playmakers on Day 3.

In the fourth round, the Chiefs used the 133rd pick to select Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals — and then closed out their draft by trading up in Round 7 to take SMU running back Brashard Smith with the 228th pick.

The Chiefs’ director of player personnel and college scouting Ryne Nutt discussed both selections during Monday’s media session.

Jalen Royals

Nutt believes Royals is similar to third-year wideout Rashee Rice, who was headed to stardom before a serious knee injury a month into last season — particularly in their run-after-the-catch (RAC) ability. In 2024, Royals was also off to a monster start before a ligament sprain ended his season.

“When I say he’s like Rashee,” Nutt explained, “he has big hands — strong hands — and he’s very good after the catch. You saw him downfield in some of those clips. The kid had seven 50 [yard] plus touchdowns in 2023. He was on pace in 2024 to smash the 2023 production before he got injured.

“RAC is a big part [of] our offense. That’s something we look for in our receiver. We look for speed; the kid had that. We look for strength. He has that. He’s got RAC. And we look at route running. That’s probably an area where Rashee had to develop a little bit. So, we kind of thought they were similar in that respect.”

Royals got the team’s attention at the Senior Bowl — and also at the NFL Scouting Combine.

“He goes to the Senior Bowl,” Nutt recalled of Royals, “and we thought he did well. He got even more on the radar. He goes to the Combine, and he runs a 4.40 [40-yard dash]. He jumps a 36 [inch vertical]. We’re like, ‘Oh, this kid’s explosive.’

“You get the coaches involved, and we Zoom with them and we talk, and we’re like, ‘We could use this kid.’ With Rashee coming back from injury and trying to get right, the hopes are this kid can step in and get some playing time and help us out.”

Nutt seemed unconcerned with Royals’ main scouting concern: being used almost exclusively on one side of the field.

“That’s how some offenses in college work,” observed Nutt. “They want to go fast, so they will have the receiver line up on the same side every time to do that. You’re wondering, ‘Alright, he’s always playing on the left side, is he going to be able to move around?’ And he does. He plays outside, but he primarily plays inside in the slot.”

Brashard Smith

Although the Chiefs defied expectations by waiting until the last round before taking a running back, Nutt said that happened because of how the board fell. But he still thinks the team was fortunate to snag Smith late in the draft — and has no doubt head coach Andy Reid’s staff will find ways to use him.

“We had him higher on our board than where we took him,” Nutt said of Smith. “That’s when you start to consider trading — when a guy’s there that you have higher on your board and you feel like, ‘Listen, what you’ll give up is peanuts compared to what we think we’ll get.

“I think this kid — if he comes in and he hammers this playbook… our coaches are super excited about the kid, and they will find ways to get this kid on the field. Whether it’s in a third-down role, an all-down role or whatever they decide — the kid will play.”

Smith spent most of his college days as a reserve wideout at Miami (FL). After following offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee to SMU, he converted to running back and broke out with 1,659 scrimmage yards in 2024.

“In college,” Nutt noted, “he played receiver — and he didn’t play a ton. I remember them talking about this is the next guy up, and it just never happened there in Miami. Rhett Lashlee coached him when he was there in Miami and brought him over.”

Smith’s reinvention was inspired by Kansas City running back Isiah Pacheco.

“[Lashlee] tells a story that he was watching Pacheco and the Chiefs and thought, ‘Man, I think Brashard could be like this,’” said Nutt. “Hats off to them. They moved him to the position — and in one year of production, he had 1,300 [rushing] yards. That’s super impressive.”

Nutt actually compared Smith to a less popular Chief: former wide receiver Kadarius Toney. However, he believes Smith will thrive in Toney’s “wide-back” role because he is so dangerous with the ball.

“I know Kadarius gets beat up sometimes,” Nutt admitted. “But when Kadarius had the ball in his hand, his RAC and the things he could do with it in terms of his balance and strength and his feet and his feel — this kid [has] similar ability to that. When he has the ball in his hands — whether it’s as a runner or catching the ball — he can do some silly things in terms of what he can set up.

“So we’re really excited. Now, he has to come in and pick everything up and there has to be a comfort level that he knows what he’s doing. But talent-wise, there’s no reason that this kid shouldn’t help us at some point in the season.”