From Rutgers to Super Bowl, Pacheco making plenty of fans
PHOENIX >> Isiah Pacheco isn’t surprised.
You might be, but he isn’t. Taken in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, the 23-year-old Vineland native was somewhat of an afterthought even following a standout collegiate career at Rutgers, but has emerged as their likely starter at running back in Super Bowl 57 out of a crowded backfield with a breakout rookie season.
“It was only a matter of time,” he said. “For me, it was being patient and trusting in the process. You can’t coach work ethic, and for me to go out there and compete at a high level and doing whatever I have to do to help my team win, that’s what I was going to do. It didn’t matter what team I was on, I was going to bring that to the table.”
Taken just 11 picks before “Mr. Irrelevant,” Brock Purdy, Pacheco has received the bulk of the work ahead of Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon, rushing for 830 yards on 170 carries and scoring five touchdowns along the way in the regular season.
He also continued to show his versatility, adding 13 catches for 130 yards while getting some blocking assistance along the way from another Rutgers alum, fullback Michael Burton, who Pacheco credits for helping him learn the ins and outs of the pro game quickly.
“It’s been a great backfield as a whole, as a unit,” Pacheco said. “Day in and day out, Mike is continuously on my behind because he wants me to be the best I can be. Coach always says, ‘Let’s find the edge,’ and me and Mike, we’re always finding the edge to get better.
It’s in the weight room, it’s in the classroom, it’s in the training room. We’re continuously in the building early and getting treatment and staying on top of the task. They’ve been here before me, so for me to watch them and get the routine is going to help me be able to stay in this game for a very long time. I’m going to do whatever I have to do to do so.”
Pacheco certainly seems to be built to last, saying he’s using a lot of what he learned at Rutgers from head coach Greg Schiano and the rest of his staff to help carry him through a year that started with two collegiate All-Star Games — the Hula Bowl and the Shrine Bowl — right through the NFL Combine, the Draft and then a lengthy training camp, regular season and playoffs.
“It’s been a lot of hard work, but continuously keeping the same routine and almost being superstitious about it, but staying to the script of eliminating those distractions and focusing on my team rather than outsiders,” Pacheco said.
“I was the same way at Rutgers. I could have been a lot better, but that shaped me into who I am today. Bringing those three things from Rutgers over here — Family, Trust, CHOP — it’s the culture. For me to still live by it and do the little things that helped me to be here and allowed me to be the man that I am today, it’s continuously finding ways to get better.”
The 5-foot-10, 216 pound back has also made a big impression with his energetic ways, finally getting to show some of his personality that was perhaps a bit suppressed at the collegiate level with some eccentric celebrations that, along with a bullish and exciting running style, quickly made him a fan favorite in Kansas City.
“Coach Reid is always telling us to show our personalities, and for me to show my personality and to go out there and play fast, it allows me to be myself more and that’s my game,” Pacheco said. “I love the fact that we’re all able to show our personalities and compete and not be robots out there. We’re humans, and that’s what it’s all about, building those relationships for this game and after football. These are relationships we have for the rest of our lives.”
Getting to establish those friendships and relationships at the highest level of football is what he’d been working for ever since his Pop Warner days in Cumberland County, so to see it all finally come to fruition, culminating with a chance to win his first championship on Sunday, has been an incredible reward in itself.
“It happened so fast, and for me not expecting it, but dreaming of it and putting in the work to get here,” Pacheco said. “So, I’m not surprised that the hard work got me here, I’m just surprised it happened so fast. For me to not dwell on it, and know I played in two
All-Star Games and then came straight to camp, it’s been the longest season of my career. I’ve been at my highs, so it’s continuously finding ways to get better and doing the little things to help me play a role in this game and be at my high when it comes game day.”