Have the Chiefs Found Another Running Back Gem in Deneric Prince?
Training camp is fully underway for the Kansas City Chiefs. Reports, commentary, and videos are coming out about how the team looks on the field from fans and media members. One name that keeps popping up is undrafted rookie running back Deneric Prince.
Prince, a Tulsa product from his college career, is positioned to make the initial 53-man roster and have a real contribution throughout the season. He has consistently been seen running with the first-team offense during camp practices and might be in line to be the team’s starting kick returner. Have the Chiefs found another diamond in the rough running back in Prince?
Obviously, the Chiefs had success with an undervalued running back last year in Isiah Pacheco. The comparison to Pacheco will be there for Prince based on how they were viewed coming out of college, but their play styles and physical builds are eerily similar. Both are around 6-foot, 215 pounds while also being among the fastest running backs in their class, each running sub-4.40 in the 40-yard dash. Pacheco went on to take the starting job and had almost 1,000 scrimmage yards during the regular season of his rookie year. That’s a lot to ask of Prince — especially with Pacheco in front of him on the depth chart — but his mold of running back has shown to have success in the Chiefs' offense.
It will be interesting to watch where the Tulsa product is in terms of snaps during the rest of training camp and preseason. He may take the mantle for the third running back spot because of his athletic upside. Also, Prince’s downhill running style complements Kansas City’s physical offensive line exceptionally well. The rookie possesses the prototypical speed and size to excel at the NFL level early in his career.
During his time in college, Prince caught fewer than 20 passes throughout his entire career. Therefore, it brought up questions regarding his ability to be a complete back and someone who can make plays in the passing game. However, that question has quickly been put away as Prince has been showing out during camp in St. Joseph, MO, catching a ton of balls and looking like a real weapon out of the backfield.
Pass blocking is the final skill Prince needs to possess to work in Kansas City. He was willing to throw his body around at Tulsa to protect the quarterback. The refinement of technique will come with coaching, but his willingness to do it is a good sign to see from a young back. Another thing that could help Prince is sharing the room with Jerick McKinnon, one of the best pass-protecting running backs in the NFL.
With Pacheco’s success and Prince’s predicted success, how does that influence the way the Chiefs should approach the running back position? They seem to have found the mold of running back they like in this offense: a bigger, physical presence who possesses elite speed. They may have been overlooked by the masses because of deficiencies regarding specific skill sets but as long as the player has the physical traits, the Chiefs probably believe they can coach them into becoming the players they want on the field.
If the Chiefs can sustain success finding running backs late in the draft, with undrafted guys or with undervalued veterans like McKinnon, it will help their ability to build out a roster by limiting costs at the running back position. Right now, the Chiefs' running back room is projected to have a total cap hit of less than $6 million (around 2.5% of the total cap). If the Chiefs move on from former first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire, that number gets even lower, which is extremely helpful to keep building at positions that may be harder to find talent at.
Pacheco and Prince being the backfield duo of the future would be an excellent thing for the Chiefs moving forward as they continue to try and win Super Bowls.
