It’s Time To Slow The Hype For This Chiefs Rookie
One of the Chiefs 2022 rookies has received a substantial amount of hype in Training Camp so far. However, he doesn’t have a clear path to starting snaps and shouldn’t be mentioned with former Chiefs stars.
With Training Camp underway for the Chiefs, it’s hard to find a rookie who has shined more than Skyy Moore or Isiah Pacheco to this point. Both players have made a handful of impressive plays in camp and each has drawn the attention of Chiefs coaches and fans alike.
Moore, a second-rounder, has an uphill climb to substantial snaps and targets. However, with his early draft pedigree and many vacated targets to go around, it isn’t entirely outlandish to expect him to become a regular contributor in Year One. Afterall, Mecole Hardman, as a rookie just three seasons ago, saw more than 40 targets and was selected to the Pro Bowl as a returner.
As for Pacheco, the outlook might not be as bright as many will have you believe. What does the 2022 trajectory look like for the rookie running back?
Chiefs Rookie Running Back Brings A Unique Style To The Offense
Pacheco joined the Chiefs as a seventh-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft. He enters the NFL at five-foot-ten and just under 220 pounds. He also ran a 4.37 40-yard dash — the fastest of any running back — at this year’s NFL Combine. Pacheco played all four of his NCAA season in the Big Ten at Rutgers where he averaged 4.3 rushing yards per attempt on 563 attempts. His 2,442 rushing yards rank seventh in school history and the most by any Scarlet Knight running back since Ray Rice from 2005-2007.
On his NFL.com Draft Profile, Lance Zierlein compares Pacheco to former NFL running back Mike Gillislee. Zierlein alludes to Pacheco’s raw ability, calling his play style ” a race car with no brakes.” The clip below shows off the speed in excellent fashion. In the play below, a fourth-and-one bruiser down becomes a house call thanks to Pacheco’s blazing speed and solid vision.
Isaih Pacheco takes it to the house for a 33-yard touchdown! #Rutgers leads 14-7 pic.twitter.com/fVcxH8LLhh — Rutgers Scarlet Knights | TheKnightReport.Net (@RutgersRivals) December 19, 2020
Despite raw ability, there were plenty of flashes of greatness by Pacheco during his time at Rutgers. He made a habit of bursting through the middle of the line for big gains and oftentimes ran with great vision. The vision was on display in the rep below, as Pacheco waits for the hole to open, slips through with great quickness, then puts the skates on one defender for yet another touchdown. Thanks to his 4.3 speed, opposing defenders had no hope of catching him once in the open field.
I’ve found another draft crush… and he’s from Rutgers! Who would have thought. Running back Isaih Pacheco has some serious juice, excellent vision, and give serious effort in pass pro. pic.twitter.com/EdbW5E9V6a — Cory (@realcorykinnan) October 2, 2020
With outstanding speed, size, and vision, it becomes easy to see what the Chiefs like in their seventh-round rookie out of Rutgers. The Chiefs drafted Darwin Thompson in the sixth round of the 2019 draft, but despite the late-round similarities, don’t look for Pacheco’s NFL career to be anything remotely similar to Thompson’s. He has already been named the team’s starting kick returner for preseason which will open the door to a larger role.
Despite Promise From Chiefs Rookie, There’s A Mountain Ahead
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Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Despite a promising build and excellent athletic traits, snaps in 2022 aren’t a sure thing for Pacheco. In fact, they may be more unlikely than likely. Despite productive rookie seasons from Kareem Hunt and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, it shouldn’t be lost on fans that those rookie campaigns weren’t by design for this front office.
If not for an untimely injury to Spencer Ware in training camp, it’s possible that we never see one of the greatest rookie seasons in Chiefs history from Kareem Hunt in 2017. Ware was set to be the team’s starter in 2017 until his knee said otherwise. In the case of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, it’s possible that Damien Williams, Super Bowl LIV hero, would have been the team’s starting running back in 2020 if not for his Covid Opt-out that season. The Chiefs don’t have a history of relying on rookie running backs and that isn’t likely to change in 2022 either.
Ahead of Pacheco on the team’s depth chart currently sits Edwards-Helaire, Ronald Jones II, and Jerrick McKinnon. Derrick Gore, last season’s stand-out, arguably sits above him on the depth chart as well. With at least three established veterans ahead of him on the depth chart, the chances that Pacheco receives any amount of significant snaps on offense seems unlikely.
Although Pacheco has flashed in camp, Edwards-Helaire has reportedly been the best running back on the field. He looks to be in line for a breakout season if he can finally remain healthy over the course of a full season. The ability that Pacheco brings to the field is certainly impressive, but the raw ability isn’t something Andy Reid will likely risk with better-established options readily available.
At times, Pacheco can allow his speed to betray him. Instead of being a patient runner, he often gets too quickly downfield or outside which prevents him from missing many tackles. In the clip below, Pacheco is easily powered back inside by the Navy linebacker. A little more patience in his game may have allowed him to put the defender on his heels and create a missed tackle. Instead, it becomes a short gain.
Loved this physical rep from @NavyFB @NavyAthletics LB @diegofagot54 Gives a huge pop to Rutgers' Isiah Pacheco, igniting quite the audible reaction from his defensive teammates. Matches his tape at Navy throughout his 4 years. Big fan. pic.twitter.com/8wrDa6tE3O — Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) February 1, 2022
With his outstanding vision, the Chiefs would be better suited to allow Pacheco to develop into a more patient runner. As a patient runner, he could better capitalize on that vision and breakaway speed, becoming a much more complete back. Beyond his ability to let blocks develop, there’s more to his game that needs refinement before we can crown him “RB1.”
His pass-catching ability, although on display early in camp so far, is very unproven. He simply wasn’t used in the passing game at Rutgers and hasn’t shown that ability on the field. He had just 47 receptions in his four seasons at Rutgers and averaged less than two yards per catch in his senior season. The Chiefs have valued pass protection from their running backs in the past and one scout — talking about Pacheco — called his pass protection “busy but lacking involvement.”
As recently as last season we saw Edwards-Helaire cede third-down snaps to Darrel Williams on passing downs. This wasn’t simply due to his ability as a pass catcher as Williams only had four catches through the team’s first four games. The Chiefs often value pass protection from their running backs on passing downs and until Pacheco can prove that aspect of his game, it isn’t likely he’s given the opportunity to chip block for the NFL’s most expensive asset.
Hype For Chiefs Rookie Is Deserved But His Time Isn’t Coming Yet
It’s clear that Isiah Pacheco has some outstanding tools at his disposal that should help him on his path to becoming an impressive NFL running back. The path from seventh-round rookie to starting NFL back isn’t an easy one and it isn’t a path traveled often. However, it certainly isn’t unheard of. There have been some notable late-round running backs in recent drafts that have flashed in the NFL:
Elijah Mitchell – 6th round pick in 2021
Khalil Herbert – 6th round pick in 2021
James Robinson – Undrafted Free Agent in 2020
Myles Gaskin – 7th round pick in 2019
Chris Carson – 7th round pick in 2017
The recent trend of late-round running backs succeeding in the NFL should dissuade any doubt around Pacheco’s potential simply due to his draft status. However, his raw talent, inability to create missed tackles, and unproven ability to catch the football, as well as in pass protection, should slow the increasing hype that’s followed him into the Chiefs’ training camp.
So far Isiah Pacheco has been having an excellent training camp for the Chiefs. Pacheco has been compared to Kareem Hunt, who averaged 20.3 touches and 18.4 fantasy points per game during his rookie season with Kansas City back in 2017. Ask me anything. pic.twitter.com/JEyJAJtSXe — Moody (@EricNMoody) August 4, 2022
Is Pacheco going to lead the league with over 1,300 yards as Kareem Hunt did? Absolutely not. The hype has gotten out of hand for a running back that likely will be third in line for touches on offense at best. However, don’t let this damper your long-term outlook for the promising tailback.
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