— The fastest member of the Kansas City Chiefs was drafted in the fifth round a couple of years ago.

Second-fastest? He went in the sixth last spring.

Now Doug Flutie Jersey , if defensive back Tremon Smith can perform anything like Tyreek Hill when he steps onto the field for the Chiefs' preseason opener against Houston on Thursday night, general manager Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid will have hit on something special at a position of tremendous need.

"I'm curious to see how he does in the games," Reid acknowledged. "He's a talented kid."

There are more similarities between Smith and Hill than just their draft stock.

Both were taken from small schools, though their routes there were very different. Smith was an overlooked-if-undervalued quarterback coming out of high school who landed at Central Arkansas because bigger schools were unwilling to give him a chance, while Hill began his career at Oklahoma State before a domestic violence incident landed him at West Alabama.

Both are dynamic special teams players. Smith has turned enough heads in camp that he could be the starting kick returner, while Hill remains one of the top punt returners in the league.

Then there's that speed — that world-class, can't-catch-me speed.

The kind that terrifies opposing coaches.

"He's a cheetah, so we can't even compare. I stay in my line," Smith said with a smile and a shake of his dreadlocked head. "Maybe I'm a lion, a lion is pretty fast. Of course it's not a cheetah but I'm a little heavier. Lion is more dangerous though."

The numbers bear it out. When Hill was preparing for the 2016 draft, he ran a 4.24-second 40-yard dash at his college pro day. Smith was clocked at 4.38 at his pro day in March.

Either way Aldrick Rosas Jersey , that's some serious speed.

The popular Madden video game even acknowledged Hill's wheels this year, when it granted him a 98 on its 1-to-100 scale for speed, making him the league's fastest player.

"Only 98? I mean, I'm happy being the fastest but I feel like I was supposed to have 100," Hill said. "Devin Hester had 100 and I'm faster than Devin Hester."

Speaking of Hester, the longtime Bears special teams dynamo, he's one of several players Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub has been showing Smith on video. Toub also tutored Hester in Chicago and thinks Smith has the instincts and, yes, top-end speed to have a similar impact.

"Tremon, he's really coming on as a corner, but we're also developing him as a kick returner Marshon Lattimore Jersey ," Toub said. "The way he catches the ball and gets to the top speed so fast, it's pretty impressive."

The Chiefs were taking a flier on Smith by selecting him in the sixth round, clearly reasoning his speed alone made him a worthwhile gamble. But he's also turned some heads on defense, working his way into the mix with the second team at a position that could be crucial to Kansas City's success.

The Chiefs are breaking in all new starters at that position, and while David Amerson, Kendall Fuller and Steven Nelson are the front-runners, it could be hard to keep Smith off the field.

"I think he's going to be a really interesting guy there," defensive coordinator Bob Sutton said.

That shouldn't necessarily come as a surprise. Smith picked off 15 passes over four years at Central Arkansas, even though teams rarely threw his direction. He also held his own against Power Five schools, picking off a pass against Oklahoma State in 2015 and leading Central Arkansas in tackles against Kansas State — his team's only loss before the FCS playoffs last season.

Smith acknowledged the adjustment from a small school was tough. He was star struck walking into the locker room and seeing safety Eric Berry for the first time, and the size of the playbook and the nuances that come with an NFL defense represented a whole new world.

No problem Randy Moss Jersey , though. Smith is getting up to speed.

As you'd expect, he's doing it fast.

NOTES: LBs Reggie Ragland (knee) and Anthony Hitchens (hamstring) took part in some of Monday's practice, working together for the first time in camp. … WR Sammy Watkins left practice early with a hip issue, though the extent of it is unclear. OL Dillon Gordon left with a shoulder injury.

SALT LAKE CITY — It turns out the Utah Jazz can be just as tough to stop when Donovan Mitchell is running the offense instead of simply creating it.

Mitchell's ability to facilitate provided a key spark in Utah's 116-108 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. The victory evened their Western Conference semifinals series at 1-1 and put the Rockets in a much tougher spot than expected heading into Game 3 on Friday.

Filling in for injured Ricky Rubio at point guard, Mitchell dished out a career-high 11 assists against Houston. He had seven assists in the first half alone. The Jazz clicked all over the court with the rookie at the controls, shooting 52 percent from the field overall — including 15 of 32 from 3-point range.

"Just being poised and staying under control was the biggest thing," Mitchell said. "It allows me to be able to make those passes and make those reads. The second half, I got away from it, but started to get back to it."

Mitchell's teammates did the most with those reads. Joe Ingles went a career-best 7 of 9 from 3-point range en route to a career-high 27 points. Alec Burks and Jae Crowder combined for 32 points and 14 rebounds off the bench.

Making the right reads offensively also paid off on the other end of the court. The Jazz were able to be more aggressive defensively and keep the Rockets on their heels during the first half and then late in the second half.

Utah stayed poised even after Houston rallied from a 19-point deficit and took a five point lead late in the third quarter.

"You're going to have breakdowns against these guys because they're so good," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "They put so much pressure on you. But I thought defensively we had a really good collective effort. We were a little tougher minded on defense, more disciplined with what we were trying to do."

For Houston Tony Gonzalez Jersey , the loss feels like an unexpected turn after it swept all four regular-season meetings with the Jazz. The Rockets put themselves in an early hole with a tepid start. They lacked energy in the first half and it showed.

Utah pushed the pace before halftime and generated tons of open 3-pointers or open layups and dunks. Houston seemed to be on cruise control early. Even after James Harden woke the team up late in the second quarter, scoring 12 points in four minutes to spark a rally, the Rockets never quite fully got back on track.

"We just lost our way in the first half," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I thought we played better (after halftime). Series is on. We have to get it going now."

Harden finished with 32 points, Chris Paul added 23 and Clint Capela chipped in 21 points. But Paul and Harden both struggled with their outside shot, going a combined 4 of 15 from 3-point range.

As a team, Houston shot just 10 of 37 (27 percent) from the perimeter. It offered a stark contrast from Game 1, where the Rockets went 17 of 32 from outside en route to a 110-96 win.

"They came out," Paul said. "They made shots. They were aggressive. We didn't. We got to stay more aggressive throughout the game on both ends."

Houston hasn't lost in Salt Lake City since falling to 120-101 to the Jazz on November 29, 2016. The Rockets won both regular-season games by 11 points — most recently 96-85 on Feb. 26 behind 26 points and 11 rebounds from James Harden.

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