Chiefs UDFA Spotlight: Tulsa RB Deneric Prince
After a standout senior campaign at Marvel High School in Marvel, Texas in 2017, Prince received offers from over a dozen different schools including KU, UCLA, Louisville, Arkansas and more. He ultimately chose Texas A&M after attending a camp, visiting the program and receiving a personal visit from Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher.
Prince played one game for the Aggies in 2018 before taking a redshirt year. He didn’t play at all in 2019 and promptly transferred to the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes where he spent the final three seasons of his college career.
Stats
Texas A&M (2018-2019): Two carries for 21 yards.
Tulsa (2020-2022): 314 carries, 1,728 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. 17 receptions for 162 yards and one touchdown.
Combine & pro day results
Height: 5-11
Weight: 216
40-yard dash: 4.41s
Vertical: 35.5 inches
Broad: 124 inches
Bench: 18
3-Cone: 6.97s
Short Shuttle: 4.33s
Highlights & film
2022 vs. Temple
2022 vs. South Florida
Fit with the Chiefs
Prince went undrafted despite having the best blend of speed and size of any running back in the 2023 draft class. He has a do-it-all style of play, boasting a thunderous and explosive running style, physicality as a blocker and underrated ability as a receiver in the passing game. Last season, he was highly productive with the Hurricanes boasting two games with over 20 carries and over 200 yards and three games with two total touchdowns.
He didn’t do much pass-catching at Tulsa, but that’s something he’s been working on since his appearance at the East-West Shrine Game. It has also caught Andy Reid’s attention in the short time Prince has been with the team.
If I were to make a bet on the undrafted free agent who is likeliest to make the Chiefs’ 53-man roster this year, it would be Prince. The Chiefs didn’t invest draft capital in the running back position this offseason. Isiah Pacheco had two offseason surgeries, Jerick McKinnon is on the wrong side of 30 and Clyde Edwards-Helaire hasn’t had an entire season healthy in his NFL career.
One of the reasons that he chose to sign with Kansas City after the draft was that he bought into what the coaching staff was selling. He also knew from watching a team a season ago that they would play guys based on merit instead of draft status.
2023 UDFA Spotlight Series
Position | Player | School | Estimated release date |
S | Isaiah Norman | Marshall | |
RB | Tulsa | 6/2 | |
CB | Ekow Boye-Doe | Kansas State | 6/5 |
OT | Jason ‘Chu’ Godrick | International | 6/7 |
LB | Isaiah Moore | NC State | TBD |
OG | Jerome Carvin | Tennessee | TBD |
CB | Reese Taylor | Purdue | TBD |
WR | Fresno State | TBD | |
S | Anthony Cook | Texas | TBD |
CB | Kahlef Hailassie | Western Kentucky | TBD |
C | Anderson Hardy | Appalachian State | TBD |
CB | Anthony Witherstone | Merrimack | TBD |
EDGE | Truman Jones | Harvard | TBD |
LB | Indiana | TBD |
