Analysis

4/14/23

10 min read

RB Athletic Archetype Guide: Kansas City Chiefs

By Nic Bodiford

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Welcome to The 33rd Team’s Athletic Archetypes series. In these pieces, NFL and fantasy football analyst Nic Bodiford will break down the preferred, position-specific athletic profiles utilized by NFL general managers. The purpose of the series is to help identify team-specific 2023 NFL Draft targets at the running back position.

NFL Combine data will be used whenever possible. Pro day data will be used in a supplementary capacity if and when a player chooses not to participate in an NFL Combine drill or if the NFL Combine data is unavailable. Pro day data is marked using an asterisk except for arm length and hand length, which is always collected at pro days.

NFL Draft Scout is the primary data source with Relative Athletic Score used as the preferred backup.

Other Archetypes: ARZ | ATL | BUF | CAR | CHI | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | LAC | LAR | LV | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | SF | SEA | TB | WAS

Chiefs’ RB Archetype

Brett Veach, Kansas City Chiefs (2017-present)

Sample size: 25 NFL running backs

• Veach and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid have been together since 2004 when Veach was hired as a Philadelphia Eagles coaching intern. 
• After advancing to coaching-assistant status in 2008 and scout status in 2010, Veach tailed Reid to Kansas City in 2013. 
• Veach kicked off his Kansas City tenure as a pro and college personnel analyst before assuming the co-director of player personnel role in 2015. 
• Kansas City decision-makers promoted Veach to general manager in 2017.

The table below reflects Veach’s preferred athletic archetype for the running back position from 2002-to-present day. Special teams/running back crossover players are excluded.

Personnel Notes

• Reid’s 2002 Philadelphia team drafted running back Brian Westbrook one year prior to Veach’s arrival. Reid and company repeatedly were singing Westbrook’s praises as recently as 2020, when Kansas City selected running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in Round 1, comparing the two players. 
• Westbrook is included in Veach’s sample thanks to Westbrook’s trend-setting abilities and attributes.
• Veach’s sample includes 21 running backs, plus four more players listed as running backs though they primarily operate as special teams players. 
• Veach’s sample includes high-volume players of all shapes and sizes. 
• Spencer Ware (5-foot-10, 228 pounds and a 32.7 body mass index (BMI)), Kareem Hunt (5-foot-10, 216 pounds and a 31.0 BMI), Darrel Williams (6-foot, 225 pounds and a 30.5 BMI), Westbrook (5-foot-8, 200 pounds and a 30.4 BMI),  LeSean McCoy (5-foot-10, 198 pounds and a 28.4 BMI) and Jamaal Charles (5-foot-11, 200 pounds and a 27.9 BMI) run the gamut.
• Charles’ 27.9 BMI makes him the only non-special-teams running back to register a sub-28.4 BMI, which appears to be Veach’s typical minimum. 

General Sample Information

• Straight-line speed is helpful but not necessary.
• Among the 21 running backs in Veach’s sample, 20 participated in the 40-yard dash. 
• Among those 20, 14 ran the 10-yard split in 1.60 seconds (6.02 relative athletic score (RAS)) or faster. 
• Seven players ran 1.55 seconds (8.75 RAS) or faster.
• The short shuttle drill is unimportant. 
• Veach’s preferred three-cone drill minimum is 7.15 seconds (4.96 RAS) but there is wiggle room.
• Among 20 three-cone drill participants, 16 ran sub-7.15 seconds, 12 ran sub-7.10 seconds (5.75 RAS) and six ran sub-7.00 seconds (7.46 RAS).
• Jerick McKinnon (6.83 seconds), McCoy (6.82 seconds) and Charles (6.80 seconds) all ran sub-6.90 seconds (8.68 RAS).
• Veach’s preferred broad jump minimum is 9-foot-10 (5.91 RAS). There are four negative outliers.
• Nine players jumped 10-foot or better (7.15 RAS).
• A high vertical jump helps but is unnecessary. 
• Among 21 participants, 12 jumped 35 inches (6.66 RAS) or higher and seven players jumped 36 inches (7.92 RAS) or higher.
• Veach prefers decent upper-body strength. 
• Among 20 bench-press participants, 10 produced more than 20 repetitions (7.12 RAS) and all running backs produced at least 15 repetitions (3.20 RAS). 
• The special teams/running back crossover players may have a BMI as low as 25.4. 
• All four stood 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-9 and weighed 172-193 pounds.
• Three of four special teams players ran the three-cone drill faster than 6.95 seconds (8.14 RAS), produced a broad jump measuring 9-foot-10 (5.91 RAS) or longer and vertically jumped at least 34.5 inches (6.13). 

Team Needs

• Tasmanian Devil sophomore rusher Isiah Pacheco currently leads Kansas City’s backfield. His inaugural season showed promise but Pacheco’s seventh-round draft capital might work against him. 
• The team declined Edwards-Helaire’s fifth-year option for 2024 and fizzled former fourth-round pick La’Mical Perine offers little in any capacity.
• Passing-down maven Jerick McKinnon remains a free agent at 30 years old.
• The team lacks a top-flight passing-down player.  
• Kansas City does not have a designated kick returner/punt returner. 

Physical Traits The Chiefs Will Target

• BMI: 28.4 or higher.
• 10-yard split: Likely 1.60 seconds or faster.
• Three-cone drill: Likely 7.15 seconds or faster. Registering sub-7.00 seconds increases a player’s likelihood to draw interest from Veach.
• Broad jump: Likely 9-foot-10 or farther. 
• Vertical jump: Jumping 35 inches or farther helps but Veach accepts a very low 30-inch minimum threshold. 
• Bench press: 20 repetitions or more is ideal, but 15 is the minimum.

Potential 2023 Day 1 NFL Draft Targets 

Prospects with strong threshold correlation are marked with an asterisk

Round 1 Pick: No. 31

• *Bijan Robinson, Texas: 30.0 BMI, 1.54-second 10-yard split, 10-foot-4 broad jump and a 37-inch vertical jump. Robinson possesses an exceptional dual-threat skill set. He is a far superior prospect to Edwards-Helaire, whom Veach drafted with pick No. 32 in 2020. (scouting report)

• *Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama: 29.4 BMI, 1.52-second 10-yard split and a 33.5-inch vertical jump. Gibbs is regarded as the best pure pass-catching prospect in the draft and would make for an excellent complement to Pacheco. (scouting report)

Day 2 Targets

Round 2 Pick: No. 63

• Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh: 31.0 BMI, 1.54-second 10-yard split, 10-foot-8 broad jump and a 41-inch vertical jump. Abanikanda is a capable dual threat. If drafted, he would eventually, ideally take on a 1A role to Pacheco’s 1B. (scouting report) 

• *Zach Charbonnet, UCLA: 29.0 BMI, 1.54-second 10-yard split, 7.16-second three-cone drill, 10-foot-2 broad jump, 37-inch vertical jump and 18 bench-press repetitions .(scouting report)

Round 3 Pick: No. 95

• *Roschon Johnson, Texas: 29.7 BMI, 1.52-second 10-yard split, 10-foot-2 broad jump and a 31.5-inch vertical jump. Johnson is a capable dual-threat player with NFL-ready pass-protection skills. The latter trait makes him a candidate to directly replace McKinnon. (scouting report)

• Tyjae Spears, Tulane: 28.8 BMI, 1.57-second 10-yard split, 10-foot-5 broad jump, 39-inch vertical jump and 18 bench-press repetitions. Spears’ 7.27-second three-cone time makes him a similar negative outlier to Kareem Hunt. (scouting report)

Day 3 Targets

Round 4 Picks: Nos. 122 and 134

Round 5 Pick: No. 166

• *Sean Tucker, Syracuse: 30.6 BMI, 39-inch vertical jump and 29 bench-press repetitions. (scouting report)

• Tank Bigsby, Auburn: 28.5 BMI, 1.54-second 10-yard split, 9-foot-11 broad jump, 32.5-inch vertical jump and 21 bench-press repetitions. Bigsby is a capable dual threat. (scouting report)

Round 6 Picks: Nos. 178 and 217

Round 7 Picks: Nos. 249 and 250

• Evan Hull, Northwestern: 30.0 BMI, 1.53-second 10-yard split, 6.90-second three-cone drill, 10-foot-3 broad jump, 37-inch vertical jump and 21 bench-press repetitions. Hull is a capable pass catcher with exceptional athleticism. (scouting report) 

• Chase Brown, Illinois: 30.4 BMI, 1.53-second 10-yard split, 10-foot-7 broad jump, 40-inch vertical jump and 25 bench-press repetitions. Brown is the classic prospect who scouts abhor but coaches love. His performance is questionable but his athletic profile is top-notch. (scouting report)

• Deneric Prince, Tulsa: 1.53-second 10-yard split, 6.97-second three-cone drill, 10-foot-4 broad jump, 35.5-inch vertical jump and 18 bench-press repetitions. (scouting report)

Physical Traits The Chiefs Will Target At Running Back/Special Teams

• BMI: Roughly 25.5-30.0.
• Height: 5-foot-9 or shorter.
• Weight: Sub-200 pounds.
• Three-cone drill: Roughly 7.00 seconds or faster.
• Broad jump: Ideally 9-foot-10 or farther.
• Vertical jump: Ideally 34 inches or higher

Running Back/Special Teams Targets

• Devon Achane, Texas A&M: 28.2 BMI, 5-foot-8.5, 188 pounds, 7.05-second three-cone drill and a 33-inch vertical jump. (scouting report)

• Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State: 29.8 BMI, 5-foot-5, 179 pounds, 7.10-second three-cone drill, 9-foot-8 broad jump and a 35.5-inch vertical jump. Vaughn impressively tallied 17 bench-press repetitions. (scouting report)

The tables below show the raw data used for this running back sample.

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Nic Bodiford

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Nic Bodiford contributes to The 33rd Team's fantasy football department and works elsewhere as an analyst and editor in written, video and audio mediums. These works can be found at Pro Football Focus, 4for4, Nerdball and Fake Teams. Nic moonlights at Legendary Upside by editing Pat Kerrane's weekly article, The Walkthrough.