The first week of practices is in the books for the Kansas City Chiefs training camp and there's been no shortage of news. Looking to become the first team to ever win three Super Bowls in a row, the Chiefs offense has shown a lot of explosion. Their defense has also had moments of brilliance, which isn't surprising given their performance in 2023.
With all that being said, let's take a look at three players who have been pleasant surprises for Kansas City so far.
3. Kamal Hadden, Cornerback
A sixth-round pick from Tennessee, Kamal Hadden offered excellent value late in the draft. He joins a crowded defensive backfield in Kansas City but has the talent to stand out. He entered camp still recovering from a shoulder injury but said he feels like he's where he needs to be.
“I feel back when I feel like I’m back, Hadden said via Ed Easton of Chiefs Wire. “It’s really good to be back on the field. I feel like I’m more faster, I feel like I’m stronger, and mainly, I feel like I’m smarter, so that just the game took me out, but it helped me grow mentally and helped me grow as a man and as a player.”
Hadden has shown as much on the field when he made a pass breakup during the end of the team's practice on Friday. That was one of many great plays the rookie has made. He's quickly proving he belongs in the NFL and will secure a spot on the 53-man roster if he continues at this pace.
2. Kingsley Suamataia, Left Tackle
When the Chiefs decided against re-signing Donovan Smith, it gave Wanya Morris a chance to win the starting left tackle spot. Added as a third-round pick from Oklahoma in 2023, Morris appeared in four games with four starts as a rookie. He was expected to get the first crack at the No. 1 spot during training camp, even with Kingsley Suamataia being selected in the second round of the NFL Draft.
Suamataia was a star for BYU (after transferring from Oregon) and might have been a potential first-round selection in most drafts. This class, however, was loaded at tackle and that meant Suamataia was there at the end of Round 2. Seen as the future of the position, there were expectations he would need time to develop. Perhaps that was a misguided belief since Suamataia was with the first team as soon as practices began.
This wasn't a case of simply giving a player the nod due to his draft status either. Suamataia proved he belonged as he was holding his own as a pass blocker and even showed off his athleticism in run blocking. At one point he was able to cut off Nick Bolton on an outside rush, which is no easy feat considering Bolton is an absolute stud.
Watch Kingsley cut off Nick Bolton on this outside run #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/JkqwFns9m7
— Ron Kopp Jr. (@Ron_Kopp) July 26, 2024
The Chiefs' offensive line has some excellent talent along the interior. Their tackles, however, had their share of inconsistent play this past season. That's why they went after Suamataia and they have to be thrilled with the early gains.
1. Deneric Prince, Running Back
The Chiefs used a first-round pick on Clyde Edwards-Helaire in 2020 but have had much more success with lesser-known prospects.
While Edwards-Helaire had 803 yards as a rookie, he's seen his total drop each season since. He also lost his starting job to Isiah Pacheco in 2022. The seventh-round pick had 830 yards as a rookie and then put up 935 in his second season.
He remains the starter but they had hopes Edwards-Helaire would provide a decent No. 2 back. After one week of practice, Edwards-Helaire appears to be in danger of losing his job as another candidate surpassed him on the depth chart.
Deneric Prince, who was signed in 2023 as an undrafted free agent out of Tulsa, has been the second back thus far. He's even been on the field with the first team when Pacheco wasn't able to go. Prince wasn't on the radar entering the offseason. As a rookie, he was active in just two games and never took a snap on offense. In all, he had 15 snaps all year — all on special teams.
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 216 pounds, Prince is a well-built back who began his collegiate career at Texas A&M. He ran the ball just twice as a freshman before transferring to Tulsa. He never topped 1,000 yards in a single season but put up 1,723 yards and 14 touchdowns in three years.
The running back position as a whole will be interesting for Kansas City. In addition to Prince, they also have Louis Rees-Zammit, a former rugby star, who is trying to make the switch to football.