Isiah Pacheco, a native of Vineland, NJ, has only known success since being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022. Now in his third season in the NFL, Pacheco is advancing to the Big Game for the third time in his career. Pacheco will be chasing history along with the rest of the Chiefs, looking to become the first team in the NFL to win three Super Bowls in a row.
Pacheco’s journey to the NFL gained serious traction at Vineland High School, where he played both running back and quarterback. Out of high school, he was recruited by several high-level teams but chose to stay true to his roots, attending Rutgers University.
At Rutgers, Pacheco accumulated 2,442 rushing yards throughout his 4 seasons. His numbers put him at 8th all time in the college’s leaderboard for career rushing yards. He also finished with 18 rushing touchdowns and 249 receiving yards and one touchdown. The performance Pacheco put together during his time at Rutgers was enough to catch the Chiefs’ eye, as they drafted him with the 251st pick in the NFL Draft in the 7th round.Pacheco impressed in his rookie season, rushing for 830 yards and recording five touchdowns, as well as finishing 10th in the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. In his second season, Pacheco improved in both of those numbers, jumping to 935 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. In the past season, Pacheco’s numbers have taken a hit after being injured for a significant amount of time and sharing playing time with Kareem Hunt.
Despite the shared playing time, Pacheco will play a vital role in the Chiefs’ offense this Sunday as they search for greatness. In the team’s most recent game in the AFC Championship against the Buffalo Bills, Hunt had significantly more touches than Pacheco, though one play can end up being the difference maker in a game as big as this one.
As Pacheco and the Chiefs look to become the first NFL team to win three Super Bowls in a row, it would cement their legacy as one of the league’s greatest dynasties, putting them in the record books. With the appearance, Pacheco would also become the sixth Rutgers alumni to appear in 3 or more Super Bowls, already establishing a track record that could rival most players in the league.
In last year’s Super Bowl, Pacheco accumulated 92 yards of total offense in the team’s win last year. The NJ native will hope to continue helping the team as they seek out their third consecutive championship win in a row.