Chiefs' latest top 30 visit could be the missing piece Kansas City needs to take 2025 running back room to the next level
Even after adding former 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell and re-signing RB Kareem Hunt in free agency, the Kansas City Chiefs could still serve to add a running back in the 2025 NFL draft. As first reported by The Draft Network's Ryan Fowler, the Chiefs are set to host Miami Hurricanes RB Damien Martinez on a top 30 […]
Even after adding former 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell and re-signing RB Kareem Hunt in free agency, the Kansas City Chiefs could still serve to add a running back in the 2025 NFL draft.
As first reported by The Draft Network's Ryan Fowler, the Chiefs are set to host Miami Hurricanes RB Damien Martinez on a top 30 visit. Martinez is coming off a highly efficient 2024 college football season where he averaged 6.9 yards per scrimmage touch across 13 games with the Hurricanes. He totaled 176 touches for 1,206 yards and 10 touchdowns during that span, becoming the first 1,000-yard rusher for Miami since Mark Walton did so in 2016.
At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, Martinez weighed 6-foot and 217 pounds. He posted a 4.51s 40-yard dash, 35-inch vertical, and a 124-inch broad jump.
What is a top 30 visit?
If you think "top 30" has anything to do with a player's draft slot, you've got it all wrong. This is simply one of the allotted 30 pre-draft visits with prospects in the upcoming NFL draft class. Teams bring prospects to team facilities to meet with staff, tour facilities, etc. It's basically an introduction to NFL life in Kansas City.
The Chiefs use their top 30 visits in various ways. Many of the visits are used on potential undrafted free agents to impress upon them that Kansas City is the place to be. Other times, they'll bring in players with an injury history to get them examined by team physicians. Occasionally, they exhaust a top 30 visit on a player expected to be drafted, even some within the top 100 picks. They do that to better understand the player and person, ensuring they're a potential fit.
Some players they've selected in the NFL draft who have had a top 30 visit include Kingsley Suamataia, Rashee Rice, BJ Thompson, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, Nick Bolton, and Juan Thornhill.
How does Miami RB Damien Martinez fit with the Chiefs?
The Chiefs obviously have Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and Elijah Mitchell under contract in 2025, but Carson Steele is the only player in that room under contract in 2026. They need to add a player who can add stability and depth to the group for the future.
As a player, Martinez runs with purpose. He embodies a finisher mindset and rarely goes down after first contact. While Martinez isn't the fastest player in this class, his lateral agility and suddenness are perhaps the most impressive of any player in this draft class. His style reminds me a bit of Marshawn Lynch.
Martinez has been somewhat underutilized in the passing game, with just 32 career receptions between his time at Miami and Oregon State. His patience in the screen game will catch Andy Reid's attention. He's also one of the better running backs in pass protection in this class, boasting very controlled movement and strong recognition of protection plans.
One major appeal is that Martinez has tread left on the tires with only 546 touches during his college football career. That's 100-200 fewer touches than some of the top prospects in this class.
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