When one thinks of the Kansas City Chiefs, one thinks of Patrick Mahomes, the best quarterback in the NFL and one of the three to five greatest players to ever play his position. They also think of a quick-hitting, pass-heavy offense and Mahomes making something out of nothing with his arm.
In the Mahomes era, the Chiefs have never been a team that loves to run the football or has been very good at doing so. Ever since Mahomes became a starter in the 2018 season, they have never ranked higher than 20th in rushing attempts.
But that doesn’t change the fact that they have a good, young starter at running back in Isiah Pacheco. In fact, in Dakota Randall’s ranking of the NFL’s top running backs for Pro Football Network, Pacheco came in surprisingly high at No. 9.
“The NFL’s angriest running back, Isiah Pacheco runs like he has a blood feud with the turf,” Randall wrote. “He’s not the most explosive back in football, nor is he all that productive as a pass catcher, but Pacheco is a physical, chain-moving back who’s an ideal fit in the Kansas City Chiefs offense.”
Isiah Pacheco has been a pleasant surprise for the Chiefs
Pacheco wasn’t thought very highly of coming out of Rutgers University in New Jersey, as he was just a seventh-round draft choice in 2022. But he came out of the gates in promising fashion, even though he was initially a backup to Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
In his very first regular-season game, he ran for 62 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries in a win over the Arizona Cardinals. He had his first 100 rushing yard game in Week 11 versus the Los Angeles Chargers, and he ended the year with 830 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
Pacheco also moonlighted as a kick returner in 2022, and he recorded 597 additional yards in that role. No seventh-round draft pick has ever had more yards from scrimmage in his rookie season thanks to his 130 receiving yards that year.
Last season, he moved away from special teams and had 935 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, 244 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Pacheco is a lucky man, as he has won Super Bowl championships in each of his first two pro seasons. In four postseason games this past year, he tallied 313 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
While he may not gain a larger role in head coach Andy Reid’s offense moving forward, Pacheco could continue to get better, as he is just 25 years of age.
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