Seventh-round pick becomes Chiefs lead RB

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

From seventh-round pick to Super Bowl starter, the Chiefs found their lead RB

By Michael Carpenter | Last updated 2/15/23

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach stated that there would be a thousand-yard rusher that would come from the late rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, and he wasn't wrong.

Isiah Pacheco came into his rookie training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs as a seventh-round draft pick out of Rutgers University and was buried on the depth chart behind running backs Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon and Ronald Jones.

He made some buzz in camp and caught head coach Andy Reid's eye with him stating that "He's got a little juice," per The Athletic. Showing the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and always running hard, Pacheco showed that he belonged in the NFL early on.

In his NFL debut, Pacheco would rush for 62 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries against the Arizona Cardinals, the same place where he would help his team win a Super Bowl nearly six months later.

In his NFL debut, former Rutgers running back Isiah Pacheco scores his first career touchdown: pic.twitter.com/dD6UYa41HI
— Brian Fonseca (@briannnnf) September 11, 2022

Over his next seven games, Pacheco saw his role diminish, rushing for 135 yards on only 32 carries.

In Week 10, Pacheco took over the starting role and never looked back. Over the next nine games, Pacheco would rush for 633 yards with four touchdowns and would add 117 yards receiving.

Finishing the regular season of his rookie year with 830 rushing yards and five touchdowns, the rookie from Rutgers continued to excel in the playoffs.

In the Chiefs' Super Bowl LVII victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, Pacheco had 15 carries for 76 yards and scored a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. This would help propel Kansas City in their comeback 38-35 victory.

Playing in three playoff games, Pacheco had 197 yards rushing, 65 yards receiving and scored a touchdown.

Isiah Pacheco’s ranks among rookie RBs this season:

1,027 Rush Yards (3rd)
6 Touchdowns (2nd)
653 Yards After Contact (4th)
20 Carries of 10+ Yards (4th) pic.twitter.com/SPDMNcp9Yx
— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 13, 2023

With a season under his belt and most likely being the incumbent starter at running back in 2023, Pacheco looks like another future cornerstone for this explosive Chiefs offense.

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