Why does Isiah Pacheco run so hard? Reason behind Chiefs RB's strong rushing style revealed

Isiah Pacheco, a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, is a dependable option to receive passes out of the backfield in addition to being an important component of the team's rushing game.

Pacheco, a 5-10, 216-pound rushing back, gained fame in 2022, his first season as an NFL professional, thanks to his quickness and elusiveness. With five touchdowns and over five yards per carry, he totaled 830 rushing yards. Many people are unaware that he faced severe adversity is a motivation behind these accomplishments. However, his path to NFL success was not easy, having had to deal with multiple tragedies in his personal life before that.

Pacheco's older brother, Tivares, was killed in 2016, while the second-year running back was still a student at Vineland High School in New Jersey. The following year, in September 2017, the RB's senior season, his sister Celeste was gunned down during a domestic violence altercation and killed as well.

The dynamic RB made it his mission to work hard in order to make his siblings proud after the unexpected tragedy that befell Pacheco and his family, which is why "he always runs like he’s mad at the world.”

When Pacheco was still a member of the Rutgers football team, he said in an interview with the Big Ten Network that nobody ever knows when they are going to get their final chance.

"I had no idea when I would see my brother or sister for the last time. I'm just in shock because I didn't know what to do after losing a brother and a sister now," Pacheco said, revealing how shocking it was to lose both a brother and a sister within a year.

Notwithstanding the extent of the damage, Isiah Pacheco decided to play on.

"I still played football because I wanted to make her smile," the player said.

Having played both running back and quarterback, Pacheco concluded his high school career with 154 carries for 1,414 yards and 18 scores. He completed 598 passes for 598 yards and three touchdowns as QB as well.

What is Isiah Pacheco's 40-yard time?

After an amazing high school football career, Isiah Pacheco played collegiate football at Rutgers. At the end of his collegiate football career, he was seventh in rushing yards (2,442), eleventh in all-purpose yards (3,039), and sixth in carries (563) in the program's history.

After Pacheco's junior year, he decided to enter the NFL Draft. Before the draft, the Super Bowl-winning running back turned in some amazing speed stats at the NFL combine. With a 40-yard sprint time of 4.37 seconds, he tied for the quickest time of any running back at the 2022 Combine.

Pacheco came in lower in the 2022 NFL draft because of his perceived small size, which came as a result of his 5-foot-10 height and 216 pounds. The Kansas City Chiefs selected him with the 251st overall pick in the seventh round of last year's draft.

Isiah Pacheco has amassed four touchdowns this season on 124 carries for 525 yards and 24 catches for 160 yards.