In recent years, general manager Brett Veach has shown a knack for identifying talent among the ranks of undrafted free agents. One of his latest, Deneric Prince, may well continue that trend.
The smoke has literally cleared on the 2023 NFL Draft and now NFL teams are in the process of filling out their rosters with players who went undrafted. At the time of this article, the Kansas City Chiefs have reportedly signed more than two-dozen undrafted free agents in advance of their annual rookie minicamp. One of the most intriguing players in this year’s crop is Deneric Prince, a running back out of Tulsa.
Originally committed to Texas A&M, Prince transferred to Tulsa for his sophomore season. He would finish his career for the Golden Hurricanes with 1,728 rushing yards on 314 attempts (good for an average of 5.5 yards per carry).
In Prince’s senior season at Tulsa, he averaged 91 yards per game and scored 6 touchdowns. Despite missing four games, he led his team in rushing and still finished Top 10 in the American Athletic Conference in rushing yardage. The interesting part about his 2022 production is that roughly 62% of it came in two games: versus Temple and the University of South Florida. Prince had 200-yard outings in both contests. In an effort not to be misled by two massively-productive days, I decided to let his game tape tell its own story.
Four games felt like a reasonable sample size so I chose his two best games (Temple and USF) and two less-than-stellar performances (Southern Methodist and Cincinnati). The key for me was to find what the box score could not tell me about Prince’s game. My observations were both positive and negative, but ultimately left me fascinated with what might be possible for Prince in the Kansas City offense.
Let’s dive into game-by-game analysis, but before we begin, I’d like to clarify that I do not fancy myself a draft expert and would defer my laymen’s judgments to far more knowledgeable football minds. Temper your expectations and watch the tape for yourself. (It’s available on YouTube!)
Deneric Prince vs. Cincinnati
Deneric Prince is at his best as a north-south runner. He’s fairly patient in picking holes and has proven he can maximize the little daylight in front of him early in this matchup. Midway through the first quarter, he was met by three defenders, but kept his feet churning and dragged them for an eight-yard gain. It appears that Prince doesn’t shy away from contact. He is perfectly willing to lower his pads and lay into an oncoming defender.
This was evident on his nine-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter. Prince was met by Bearcats cornerback Ja’Quan Sheppard at the goal line, but had a full head of steam at the point of contact and his momentum carried him into the end zone anyway. Sheppard had great position, but Prince is a big man at 6′ 0″, 219 pounds. He made his presence felt in another red zone situation on his second touchdown of the day, getting the best of linebacker Deshawn Pace, in another goalline collision.
Prince’s best run of the night was a third-quarter play where he scampered for 15 yards on a draw play. He was largely untouched on this play, but did show an ability to run well in the open field. Overall, this was not an eye-popping performance by Prince, but several intangibles showed up in this game. I’m excited to see how well the positives carry over into the next game.
Deneric Prince vs. Temple
In a second quarter drive, Prince leaps off of the screen darting his way through traffic on several runs. When he’s decisive, he can create chunk plays with his legs. I noted three plays where he cut once and got upfield in a hurry. He doesn’t look to be a burner on tape, despite recording a 4.41 40-time at the NFL Combine, but he has good burst and can explode through a hole when necessary.
The key play on that drive was an 18-yard reception for a touchdown. Prince caught a swing pass and evaded two defenders near the boundary to lunge into the end zone. For a guy his size, he’s surprisingly more nimble than you’d expect. Prince was not asked to be a receiver very often at Tulsa, but this play demonstrated that he has the ability to catch the ball, turn and run with little wasted motion. That will serve him well in an Andy Reid offense where he’s masterful at getting ballcarriers into open space.
Midway through the second quarter, Prince ripped off a 29-yard run. To be fair, this play was blocked immaculately up front. The senior for the Golden Hurricanes was practically untouched until he got to midfield, but this play did prove that he’s capable of exploiting space for big chunks. Prince was one defender from making a house call on the play.
Prince demonstrated how dynamic he can be on a late-third quarter drive into Temple territory. He got skinny in tight quarters and exploded into the second level. It would ultimately end in a negative play as Prince would turn the ball over in a pile of Temple defenders, but he showed excellent contact balance and the ability to run through a defender when necessary.
Prince would cap off the night with an 84-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. He took the handoff at his own 10-yard line and it looked like he’d been shot out of a cannon as he raced through the middle of Temple’s defense past four defenders. That kind of explosiveness in an offense that also has a speedster in Isiah Pacheco is exciting to think about.
Deneric Prince vs. Southern Methodist
Prince proves yet again that he simply doesn’t need much room to create a chunk play. He took a first quarter handoff and found a gap on the left side and burst through it for a 15-yard gain. Two plays later, he adjusts to a poorly-thrown ball to the flat and gets upfield for a 17-yard reception. The best part of that play was despite Prince being on the left boundary, he turned back into the field of play to truck SMU safety Roderick Roberson, Jr. That kind of attitude on a back of his stature has been missing in Kansas City.
A few runs in the middle frames made it clear that despite Prince’s athleticism, his lateral agility leaves something to be desired. Some of his east-west running resulted in several short gains. He can get to the corner, but with mixed results. There’s a very good chance he’ll do that less often at the next level. His bread and butter is running the ball between the tackles.
My favorite run in this game was a 43-yard run early in the third quarter. Prince took the handoff and waited patiently until a cutback lane opened up in the middle of Tulsa’s line. When the opportunity presented itself, he ripped through SMU’s second level and made a charging JaQwondis Burns miss on his way upfield. He was ultimately pushed out of bounds around the Mustang’s six-yard line.
Again, Prince’s inability to get to the corner consistently showed up on two Tulsa red zone situations. He’s just not the man for toss or stretch plays, but if you play to his strengths, he’ll be quite effective on inside runs. He’s a bit like Clyde Edwards-Helaire in that way. This was an impressive performance by Prince, but still gives you a full picture of his strengths and weaknesses.
Deneric Prince vs. South Florida
If you decide to watch these games for yourself, check out Prince’s run at the eight-minute mark of the first quarter. An underrated aspect of his game is the ability to string together moves. On this play, he created something out of nothing with a pair of jump cuts, a spin move and the finisher (dragging a defender for a few additional yards at the end of the play). On the very next play, he used another jump cut, gathered himself quickly to evade a lunging defender and stayed on his feet to gain another first down. Despite his size, he’s much more graceful than he looks.
Late in the first quarter, Prince took a handoff and blasted through the middle of the USF defense for a gain of 66 yards. It was another well-blocked play, but he took full advantage and again showed how dangerous he can be in the open field. The best part of the play was his ability to stay upright after a defender caused him to stumble by getting ahold of his foot. He gained what appeared to be another 20 yards with the contact balance that has shown up throught my dissection of his game tape.
The end of the play reminded me of another minor gripe I have with Prince’s game: he is not at all consistent with switching the ball to his outside arm. He’ll need to clean that up in the NFL. Defenders are adept at trying to pry the ball out of a runner’s hands at the pro level. If there’s one thing that’ll earn you a trip to Andy Reid’s doghouse, it’s ball security issues.
I just can’t say enough about Prince’s balance. On a mid-second quarter drive, he twice shows how he can stay on his feet even when defenders try to cut his legs out. He’s a bigger back so smaller defenders often try to hit him low. Prince in this quarter has twice shown up a diving defender with nifty pirouettes to escape tackles. He has remarkable body control for a man with his build and running style.
Concluding Thoughts About Deneric Prince
It’s tough to project how well talent will translate to the NFL even with a player as talented as Deneric Prince. There’s a lot to like about the kid, but there are certainly some things that also concern me. He’s the kind of running back that can be successful in a system that plays to his strengths. He’s not an east-west runner who can stop and restart quickly. He thrives when he’s decisive and committed to exploding through the hole.
He’ll need to prove that he can be a valuable pass-catcher in Reid’s offense. Prince simply was not tasked with catching the football very often at Tulsa, but I saw enough in these four games to think he can do more in the NFL. There’s also work to be done as a pass protector if he has real hopes of being an every down back at the next level.
As it stands, he’s my favorite member of the Chiefs UDFA class and I’m excited to see what he can contribute given opportunities in camp and in the preseason. I suspect Jerick McKinnon will eventually return to the team, but I think he has a shot to stick with a solid offseason campaign.