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Why Isiah Pacheco fell to Chiefs in NFL Draft: RB from Rutgers looks like 7th-round steal

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San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy isn’t the only seventh-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft who will play a huge role in conference championship weekend. 

Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco, who was selected 11 picks before Purdy with the No. 251 pick, will be a key player for Kansas City in the AFC championship game against Cincinnati on Sunday. 

Pachecho had 12 carries for 95 yards in the 27-20 victory against Jacksonville in the AFC divisional playoffs. Will he be the unlikely hero against the Bengals? How did Pacheco fall to the Chiefs? 

MORE: Bengals vs. Chiefs odds, prediction, betting trends

The Sporting News looks at the path that brought Pacheco to the verge of Kansas City stardom: 

Isiah Pacheco at Rutgers 

Pacheco was a three-star running back at Vineland South High School (Vineland, N.J.) in the class of 2018, and he chose Rutgers among the five schools that offered him a scholarship. 

Big Ten Network’s “The Journey” also profiled Pacheco’s hardships off the field in high school. Pacheco’s brother Travoise Cannon was murdered on Jan. 11, 2016. Pacheco’s sister Celeste was murdered on Sept. 20, 2017. Pacheco opened up about those experiences on BTN: 

The 5-10, 216-pound running back didn’t have monster stats in college – he finished with 2,442 yards and 18 TDs in a four-year career. He still developed a reputation as a big-play running back because of that speed. He finished seventh all-time in rushing yards for the Scarlet Knights. 

Big Ten enthusiasts were keen on Pacheco in college, too, because of his speed. He had 17 games with at least 16 carries in college – and he had more than 100 yards in seven of those games. He had a pair of 100-yard games against Michigan and another one against Penn State.

Isiah Pacheco in 2022 NFL Draft 

Pacheco ran a 4.37 in the 40 at the 2022 NFL Combine, which was tied for the fastest time among running backs with South Dakota State’s Pierre Strong. Despite that speed, Pacheco did not generate much draft buzz and was perceived as a Day 3 pick throughout the process. A total of 23 running backs were drafted in 2022, and Pacheco was the next-to-last of that group. 

Sometimes it depends on the landing spot. Pacheco went from a draft-day slide to a draft-day steal given his fit with Kansas City. Pacheco made an immediate impact in fall camp, and was profiled by The Athletic’s Nate Taylor on Sept. 5: 

In his previous nine seasons leading the Chiefs, Andy Reid, a future Hall of Fame coach known for his offensive innovations, has never had an offensive skill-position player who was selected in the seventh round earn a spot on the team’s initial 53-man roster. Pacheco became the first, and with relative ease.

MORE: Updated 2023 Mock Draft ahead of conference championship weekend

Isiah Pacheco stats 

Pacheco became a name to know in fantasy circles, but he was still in a backfield that featured Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon. He scored a touchdown in Week 1 against the Cardinals and emerged as the lead running back for the Chiefs. 

That workload remained about the same as his time at Rutgers, however. He had four games with 15 carries or more – and he averaged 86 rushing yards per game in those games. Pacheco averaged 4.9 yards per carry in the regular season. He finished fourth among rookies in rushing yards in 2022, and Pacheco had the lowest volume among those running backs with 170 carries. 

Rookie rushing leaders in 2022

Player Team Att. Yards Avg. TDs
Kenneth Walker III Seahawks 228 1,050 4.6 9
Tyler Allgeier Falcons 210 1,035 4.9 3
Dameon Pierce Texans 220 939 4.3 4
Isiah Pacheco Chiefs 170 830 4.9 5
Brian Robinson Commanders 205 797 3.9 2

Pacheco also didn’t emerge as a threat in the passing game until the second half of the season. He had 13 receptions on 14 targets for 130 yards this season. 

Isiah Pacheco in the playoffs 

Pacheco had a season-high 95 rushing yards on 12 carries against Jacksonville in the AFC divisional playoffs. Patrick Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain during the game, but Pacheco stepped up during a 98-yard drive led by backup quarterback Chad Henne. Pacheco broke off a season-long 39-yard run that helped set up a touchdown.

Isiah Pacheco in the AFC championship game 

The Bengals have won the last three meetings against the Chiefs despite the fact Kansas City averages 6.0 yards per carry in those games. In their four losses this season, the Bengals allowed an average of 127.2 rushing yards per game. With Mahomes’ ankle injury, it makes sense for Pacheco and McKinnon to be involved and for the Chiefs to remain patient in the running game. 

Knowing that, Pacheco could be in for 15-20 carries, and he’s always a threat to break off the home-run play in the offense. He also had five rushing TDs inside the red zone in 2022. 

Pacheco will play a role in Sunday’s outcome. The more carries he gets, the better off the Chiefs will be.

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