How did the Chiefs get Isiah Pacheco? Revisiting Kansas City RB's story of making it to the NFL

Isiah Pacheco went from a seventh-round pick to being one of the Kansas City Chiefs' most important offensive players. The Chiefs drafted Pacheco out of Rutgers, and he scored a touchdown in Super Bowl 2023 to guide the team to victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Pacheco is set to start in back-to-back Super Bowls on Sunday night when the Chiefs face off against the San Francisco 49ers. Here, we take look at the sophomore running back's story and his path to the NFL.

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Isiah Pacheco's college football career

Isiah Pacheco was a talent in high school and had scholarship offers from Maryland, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Rutgers and other notable colleges along the East Coast. He eventually chose to take his talent to Rutgers University.

During his four-year collegiate career, Pacheco was a significant part of the Rutgers rush offense. He saw consistent action and was a starter for most of his spell there.

Pacheco rushed 563 times for 2,442 yards and racked up 18 TDs. He also added 47 passes for 249 yards and one TD before declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft at the end of the 2021-22 college football season.

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Isiah Pacheco's NFL career

The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Isiah Pacheco with a seventh-round draft pick. Few were familiar with Pacheco's name coming out of Rutgers, but the Kansas City Chiefs recognized his talent and selected him out of a less prominent college football program.

Pacheco vindicated their trust with a phenomenal rookie season in Arrowhead. The Vineland, New Jersey, native ended his debut season with 830 rushing yards and 130 receiving yards, along with five ground TDs.

He was also a threat as a returner, returning 29 kickoffs for 597 yards. His efforts helped the Chiefs to Super Bowl 2023, where they beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.

Pacheco was even more productive in year two, with the franchise running back amassing more rush attempts, rushing yards and touchdowns despite playing fewer games than in 2023.

He ended the season with 205 rush attempts, 935 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Pacheco also helped the Chiefs to another Super Bowl appearance and will look to go back-to-back against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 2024.