Isiah Pacheco selected in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft
For the first time since 2018, Rutgers Football has had two former player selected in the same NFL Draft, as former running back Isiah Pacheco was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with 251st pick in the seventh round in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Pacheco is the first former Scarlet Knights running back to be selected in the draft since the Washington Redskins selected Jawan Jamison with the 228th pick in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
EVALUATION AS A RECRUIT
"This kid is talented. A great athlete and looks like he can take a game over single handedly. He's certainly a D1 caliber player. He has a great build and knows how to use it. At time, he plays bigger than his size indicates. My concerns for him is can he play a true running back? Can he play out of the home position or out of the gun? Can he read blitz pick up? I didn't see him block once on his film.
He also seemed a little cocky at times on the film, which can overshadow his confidence (which I think he has a lot of). I am a person that likes guys with an ego. However, I do know if the level of cockiness is high, then it's easy to get under that person's skin and get them out of their game, which could've happened in the two games they lost. I know he can't do anything about his schedule other than what he did, but he will need to go through a grooming process at running back.. If he can catch on quickly and prove to be able to do what he didn't show on his highlight film, I can see him being a dynamic player at the next level." -- Former TEST Football Academy RB trainer / current Rutgers asst. S&C coach Mason Robinson
BREAKDOWN OF TIME AT RUTGERS
Pacheco was listed as a high three-star recruit coming out of high school and had some up and down moments at Rutgers as the offense as a whole saw some serious struggles up front during his time on the banks.
In his four years with the program, Pacheco ran the ball a total of 563 times for 2442 yards and 18 touchdowns. Out of those four years, his best was his sophomore year, where he ran for a total of 729 yards and seven scores on 169 total carries, which was good for an average of 4.3 yards per carry.
Following his time on the banks, Pacheco recently participated in the 2022 NFL Combine, where he ran the fastest time (4.37) of all the running backs who participated in the 40 yard dash.
Pacheco is now the 17th active Scarlet Knight in the league. He joins Gus Edwards (Ravens) as the only other former Rutgers Football wide receiver currently on an NFL roster.