Rutgers Football hosted their annual Pro Day this past Tuesday as scouts, coaches and front office personnel from all 32 NFL teams were in attendance to scout a few former Scarlet Knights that have shown they have what it takes to play at the next level.
One former Rutgers Football player that has been lighting it up this offseason is Isiah Pacheco who has caught the eyes of multiple scouts after testing as the fastest 40 time among running backs at the NFL Combine earlier this month.
Now the Vineland, New Jersey native didn’t really have to prove much to scouts on Tuesday as he already did most of the same drills at the combine, but he wanted a chance to once again prove to the scouts that he is worthy of a roster spot in the league.
“It was a great experience,” Pacheco told the media following pro day. “I’m just blessed to be here and I want to thank god for waking me up today and allowing my brothers and I to be able to compete. I took every single drill and listened to the details, that’s what it is all about. I listened to every detail so that I could execute in the best way that I could.”
Along with this week’s Pro Day, Pacheco was also fortunate enough to participate in a few college all-star games as well as the 2022 NFL Combine, where he displayed some really good times.
“For me it’s been tough,” said Pacheco. “I had to play in two all-star games which is tough, traveling the world and January was a lot, I traveled forever. But for me I just stayed to the task, stayed focused and just dreamed about my dreams. I never want to give up my dreams, everyday I dream about it, picture it and just execute every time I am given an opportunity.”
Only time will tell if Pacheco will be able to showcase his talents in the league or not, but one thing is for certain and that is that HC Greg Schiano is in his corner and believes in him.
“I think that Pop is going to be a really good NFL player,” Schiano said. “I think that he can do all the things that they want you to do in the NFL. He can run the football, he can protect and I think he will be a very good special teams player. Unless you are the guy who is rushing for 1,000 yards then you better be a really good special teams player as a running back because that main guy is getting the most carries and the rest of you are there as backups, unless maybe you’re a third down situational back.”
Coach Schiano went on to talk about why Pacheco could be a good special teams guy in the league, despite him not being used much as one during his time on the banks.
“He was a depth guy for us on special teams, if we could have afforded to play him there we would,” said Schiano. “He got in some work with our special teams in practice everyday. If he wasn’t involved in the particular drill that we were doing that day, then he would work with our offensive coaches who are also involved in the special teams.”
Next up for Pacheco, he will head out west as he has a private workout setup with the Denver Broncos.
“I have a private workout in Denver with the Broncos on the 11th,” Pacheco said. “It’s not over, the job is not done, it’s unfinished business. So whatever team wants to see me next, I’ll be ready and prepared for the moment.”
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