Underrated no more: Here's what drove Isiah Pacheco from Rutgers football to NFL stardom
This was back in August of 2021, when Isiah Pacheco was preparing for what would be his final season in a Rutgers football uniform.
The running back from Vineland was one of the Scarlet Knights’ most dynamic offensive weapons, a tough, physical runner who powered Rutgers’ rushing attack.
Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Kansas City running back Isiah Pacheco (10) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second half against the Buffalo Bills for the 2024 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Yet at that time, Pacheco wasn’t necessarily getting tons of attention from the college football world.
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That wasn’t lost on Pacheco.
Instead of lamenting it, he used it as fuel during his offseason work.
“In all areas, I just kind of pushed myself to be the best I can be because I’m tired of being underrated,” Pacheco said that day following a training camp practice. “That’s how I feel every day. I look in the mirror, look at myself, I don’t feel like I’m where I need to be.”
Tired of being underrated.
A lot has changed since then.
Pacheco has gone from Rutgers to a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he vaulted to stardom as a rookie with that same tough, hard-nosed running style he showed at Rutgers and ultimately helped Kansas City win a Super Bowl last year.
Now Pacheco is trying to help the Chiefs get there once again – a win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in the AFC Championship game (3 p.m., CBS) would send the Chiefs to Las Vegas with a chance to win a second consecutive title.
Pacheco’s in the middle of it all.
A 1,000-yard season for Isiah Pacheco
Between the regular season and the postseason, Pacheco has rushed for 1,121 yards on 244 carries (4.6 yards per attempt) with nine touchdowns.
The 5-foot-10, 216-pound Pacheco rushed for 97 yards on 15 carries (6.5 yards per attempt) with one score in Kansas City’s divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills.
It’s been a remarkable rise for Pacheco, who set a franchise record for a rookie last year with 830 rushing yards.
So looking back now?
It’s hard to believe that Pacheco, who finished his career at Rutgers ranked seventh in program history with 2,442 rushing yards, was ever underrated to begin with. But part of that stemmed from playing behind a Scarlet Knights offensive line that didn’t block for him well enough. His production wasn’t what it could’ve been.
Now Pacheco often sets the NFL world abuzz with the way he runs.
More: Here’s what Rutgers football’s offensive line has for the first time in a while
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis may have summed it up when he posted this on X (formerly Twitter) on Dec. 31: “Pacheco run like he bite people.”
Recently on their “New Heights Podcast,” Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce and his brother, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, said Pacheco runs with anger.
“I feel like if Mike Tyson was a running back,” Jason Kelce said, “he’d run like Isiah Pacheco.”
‘I have a goal to achieve and we want to get the job done’
While speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Pacheco laughed about some of the social media reactions.
“It’s a great opinion to have,” Pacheco said with a smile, “running the way I run.”
Now that Pacheco is on a bigger stage, more people are seeing what Rutgers football observers had already known.
“For me, it’s just being determined and understanding that I have a goal to achieve and we want to get the job done,” Pacheco said.
But being underrated?
Those days are long over.
Pacheco’s become a hot subject around the NFL and its fans.
The stage continues to get bigger and the lights keep getting brighter.
Pacheco felt he was overlooked. He turned that into fuel, thrived on the perception he was under the radar.
Now he’s one win away from another Super Bowl appearance.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Underrated no more: Here’s what drove Isiah Pacheco from Rutgers football to NFL stardom