While a total of 259 players were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, there are still hundreds of other prospects who still had to earn a chance to make a roster. The Kansas City Chiefs did what all 32 NFL teams do. They signed a handful of undrafted rookie free agents and brought in several others on a tryout basis following April’s draft event.
One of those signings is already making a strong impression on Andy Reid’s coaching staff as training camp continues in St. Joseph, MO. Despite being projected as a late-round pick, Tulsa running back Deneric Prince couldn’t grab the attention of any team on draft day.
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But that didn’t prevent the Chiefs from placing a call to Prince’s agent anyway, quickly signing the Manvel, Texas native to a three-year, $2.7 million contract. Yet, the offer carries $236K in guarantees, which isn’t much by NFL standards. This means, should Prince struggle, the Chiefs won’t think twice about cutting the 23-year-old loose.
The good news is Prince has given the Chiefs no reason to consider moving on. In fact, early reports from camp suggest he’s actually been one of the team’s standouts not just during rookie minicamp but also now in training camp practices too.
In fact, Prince’s performance has been so strong that Chiefs analyst Pete Sweeney has already stated the rookie’s roster spot should be “written in ink” on the team’s 53-man roster. He’s been that good.
Prince is reportedly already the team’s top kick returner and has also displayed good hands when catching passes out of the backfield too. Last year we saw rookie Isiah Pacheco emerge as a key playmaker despite being a seventh-round pick, so it’s clear the Chiefs have no issues overlooking draft position to give a strong performer a chance to play. We’ll see if that’s the case for Prince too.
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