Tag: Isiah Pacheco

Mike Burton thinks this ‘special’ quality in Isiah Pacheco will help Chiefs

In an exclusive interview with @TheChiefsWire, #Chiefs FB @MikeBurtonFB spoke about the “special” quality in fellow Rutgers alum Isiah Pacheco.

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When the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Isiah Pacheco in the 2022 NFL draft, he’d become the second player from Rutgers on the roster.

Chiefs FB Mike Burton was drafted out of Rutgers by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft. He first joined Kansas City in 2021, re-signing with the team on a one-year deal this offseason.

While the two Scarlet Knights didn’t get an opportunity to play together in New Brunswick, Burton is quite familiar with the Chiefs’ new running back.

“I am familiar with him,” Burton told Chiefs Wire in an exclusive interview. “I missed playing with him at Rutgers, but the years that I’ve gone back for a spring game or spring practices in my offseason, I have been able to meet with him, talk with him, watch him practice. I talked to the coaches who were there about him and things like that. I definitely know him and I’m very familiar with him.” 

When the Chiefs draft a player, they typically have a cut-up or highlights of that player that are made available for the rest of the team. In the case of Pacheco, Burton already knew exactly the type of player and person that the team was getting when they turned in their draft card.

“He is a physical, hard-nosed runner, who also has great speed,” Burton said of Pacheco. “When you watch his tape, he’s running away from guys. From a physical standpoint, he has the tools, and I noticed that probably two years ago when I was at a Rutgers practice.”

Beyond the tools — which are great in their own right — there is something special about Pacheco that Burton noticed while watching him play at Rutgers. It’s something that he thinks the rest of the team will be able to learn from and utilize themselves. He isn’t the only one who picked up on this special quality either, with Chiefs northeast area scout Cassidy Kaminski saying something quite similar about Pacheco.

Pacheco plays the game with passion.

“Just the way he runs the football — his passion — I mean he’s running every carry like it was his last,” Burton said of Pacheco. “I think that’s very special. Guys feed off of that, so that’s going to be great for the locker room.”

Even as a late-round draft pick, Burton expects Pacheco to be a contributor in Kansas City. Upon the suggestion of a third-down role as a pass-protector, Burton agreed that the rookie has the chops to play that role in the NFL.

“He’s a big kid,” Burton said. “He definitely has the size and strength. I think he hit 27 reps on the bench at his pro day. He’s definitely got that strength and that mentality to be a pass protector, there’s no question about it.”    

As Pacheco takes the next step, he’ll have a friendly, familiar and supportive face to rely on in the Chiefs’ locker room. It’s something that will surely help him acclimate as he makes the jump to the next level.

“He has a great personality off the field as well, just a great kid,” Burton said of Pacheco. “I’m very excited to have him coming here whenever the rookies get here.” 

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What Chiefs scout Cassidy Kaminski had to say about Isiah Pacheco

Kansas City Chiefs regional scout raves about Isiah Pacheco the player and the person.

Isiah Pacheco may have burst out in mid-March at the NFL combine, but the now Kansas City Chiefs running back has been a known commodity around the Big Ten for several seasons. Count Cassidy Kaminski among those dialed into what the former Rutgers football standout brings to his new home in the NFL.

A regional scout for the Chiefs, Kaminski was charged with evaluating the geographic region that includes Rutgers. As such, he became well acquainted with Pacheco, who was a seventh round pick of the Chiefs in last week’s NFL draft.

The 2021 season was his fourth at Rutgers and Pacheco had 647 rushing yards on 167 carries last season. He also had five rushing touchdowns.

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Kaminski spoke to reporters shortly after the Chiefs selected Pacheco.

“Tough, hard‐nose, physical, doesn’t shy away from contact,” Kaminski told reporters. “Very consistent in terms of his work ethic, his ability, getting better every year there.”

Nationally, Pacheco’s performance at the NFL combine, where he tied for the fastest 40-time with a 4.37, helped solidify him as an under-the-radar player.

Kaminski liked the product on the field as well as what Pacheco brings off of it.

“A phenomenal person. Yeah, absolutely, he does have a good, bright personality and character to him. I think we sat down – normally your interviews are 20‐30 minutes at an all‐star game – and we sat for an hour and a half and just talked life, conversation, everything,” Kaminski said. “He can articulate himself and he just brings a good energy and smile to the room wherever he’s at every time.”

The time in the NFL combine was a surprise to many, even those around the Rutgers program who didn’t know that Pacheco had that home run ability in his game. At Rutgers and given the state of their rebuild, Pacheco didn’t often have a chance to flash that speed.

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Very often, he simply had a hard time finding a running lane let alone getting to the second-level.

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Kamisnki thinks that the Chiefs have added a well-rounded running back who can help the team in a variety of ways.

“I would say the passion. You see passion in the way he communicates, you see passion in the way he runs the football, it’s just who he is,” Kaminski said. “Physically there’s a combination of speed and power there and I would say he runs the ball with that passion. You see that.”

Pacheco joins former Rutgers fullback Michael Burton in the Chiefs backfield. Burton said that he re-signed with the Chiefs in large part to his desire to continue playing for head coach Andy Reid.

Rutgers coaching staff member is headed for Pittsburgh Steelers rookie minicamp tryout

Rutgers football player development coach P.J. Barr is heading to the NFL for a rookie minicamp tryout with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

P.J. Barr is putting the start of his coaching career on hold, at least temporarily, to pursue his dream to play in the NFL.

A former offensive lineman at Maine, Barr joined Rutgers football two weeks ago in a player development role. Then a twist came…over the weekend, Barr was invited to participate in the upcoming Pittsburgh Steelers rookie minicamp.

Steelers minicamp begins May 13.

Barr played four years at Bucknell, where he was recruited by head coach Joe Susan, who coached the linebackers at Rutgers the past two years and is now the special assistant to head coach Greg Schiano.

After four years at Bucknell, where he was twice selected to the All-Patriot League team, he used his final year of collegiate eligibility at Maine.

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With the Black Bears he was named third-team All-CAA.

“P.J. has loved Rutgers football his entire life. Growing up so close to the campus, his family are season ticket holders. So taking the position in player development two weeks ago was a dream come true,” said Latish Kinsler, president of football operations for LifeStyle Sports Agency. The agency represents Barr.

“The decision to put his Rutgers coaching career on hold wasn’t easy but he knew that he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play in the NFL. Also, the Rutgers staff has been extremely supportive of P.J. and this decision.”

If need be, Barr will be able to return to his role in player development following Steelers rookie minicamp. Talk about some serious Vince Papale vibes to this one.

Two Rutgers players were taken in last week’s NFL draft: wide receiver [autotag]Bo Melton[/autotag] (Seattle Seahawks, seventh round) and running back [autotag]Isiah Pacheco[/autotag] (Kansas City Chiefs, seventh round).

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In addition, several Rutgers football players were signed to undrafted rookie free agent deals or invited to rookie minicamps including linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and linebacker Tyreek Maddox-Williams (Los Angeles Chargers).

 

After a long wait in the 2022 NFL draft, new Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco is ready to compete

After a long wait to get drafted, new #Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco is ready to compete and “willing to take another grown man’s job.”

There were just 12 picks left in the 2022 NFL draft.

At that point anyone who hadn’t been selected had those thoughts creeping into their mind, “Will, I not get picked in the draft?”

There is no doubt that those thoughts crept into the mind of Rutgers RB Isiah Pacheco. When his phone rang ahead of pick No. 251, he was so taken aback by the Kansas City Chiefs’ call that he didn’t even believe the moment was real.

“I was honestly questioning it,” Pacheco told local beat reporters. “I said, ‘for real?’ The GM got on the phone and I said, ‘are you serious?’ He said, ‘yes, just keep an eye out on the TV, we’re turning this card in. We’re pleased to have you and good luck.’ For me it was totally shocking. The running backs coach told me, ‘I told you I’d be back for you.’ Once he told me that I’m like, ‘you know you were right, and I definitely really appreciate you coach for believing in me. It’s time to get to work.’”

Being made a seventh-round draft pick is hardly a guarantee to make an NFL team. It is an opportunity to go out there and prove that you belong, which is exactly what Pacheco says he’s willing to do. He knows that he has a skill set that can complement that of guys like Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Ronald Jones, but now he has to showcase that and compete against other more established players to prove it.

“You know, definitely being a guy that can compete on all three downs, pass protection, being able to catch the ball, being able to run the ball on first and second down whenever we need to gain the short-yardage,” Pacheco explained. “And being able to compete on special teams, more specifically, coming in the door, giving 120 percent, competing and willing to take another grown man’s job.”

Brett Veach said during his pre-draft press conference that there would be a 1000-yard rusher to come out of the seventh round of this draft class because of the sheer depth of the running back class. When Pacheco was told about that, he didn’t hesitate to say that he could be that guy.

“Absolutely,” Pacheco said. “Being a guy that had few injuries, being able to come up with a plan to take care of my body. Coming from Rutgers and being able to run with the line — no offense to my guys from Rutgers— but we struggled a bit there with the offensive line. Being able to come and compete early at the next level with a good offensive line is big time for me. For me to come out and block my behind off for Patrick (Mahomes) will be a big standout for me to get out on the field on third downs.”

One area where Pacheco expects to make an instant impact is on passing downs in pass-blocking situations. He’s highly motivated to do whatever it takes — including the dirty work like pass protection — in order to help this team compete for a championship.

“Definitely I’m excited to block for Patrick Mahomes and willing to compete for a championship,” Pacheco said. “I never won a championship within all my football years, I always won baseball, basketball championships, so to go out there and to compete for a Super Bowl this year, with (Travis) Kelce and Mahomes, I’m just ready to compete.”

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Rutgers football running back Isiah Pacheco: five things to know about the newest Kansas City Chiefs running back

Isiah Pacheco goes in the seventh round to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs made it two selections for Rutgers football on Saturday, with Isiah Pacheco going in the seventh round of the NFL draft.

The Rutgers running back was taken No. 251 overall. Just 22 picks prior, Rutgers wide receiver Bo Melton was taken by the Seattle Seahawks.

Pacheco could be a very nice fit in the Chiefs multi-faceted offense. This past season as the primary ball carrier for Rutgers, he had 647 rushing yards on 167 carries and five touchdowns.

His finished his Rutgers career with 2,442 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry, a number that took a dip with the offense’s struggles this season.

He shot up NFL draft boards following a strong showing in the NFL Combine last month.

In the Chiefs backfield he joins former Rutgers standout Michael Burton. This past offseason, Burton signed a one-year deal to remain in Kansas City.

Pacheco burst onto the NFL platform with a strong showing at the NFL combine and his flashy Gucci sunglasses. But read on to check out more about[autotag] Isiah Pacheco[/autotag] and what makes the Rutgers running back a unique player and person for the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Isiah Pacheco posts heartfelt farewell to Rutgers on social media

Rutgers football star Isiah Pacheco declared for the NFL draft on Thursday.

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Isiah Pacheco is headed to the NFL, the Rutgers running back making the announcement on Tuesday.

A physical and explosive runner out of the backfield, Pacheco has been an influential part of the Rutgers offense the past four seasons. He is arguably one of the best running backs in the Big Ten over the past three seasons, even if the offense around him didn’t necessarily showcase his talents.

Pacheco had 641 rushing yards on 166 carries and five rushing touchdowns this season.

 

He finishes his four years at Rutgers with 2,436 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. In terms of catching the ball, Pacheco had 47 career catches for 249 receiving yards with a touchdown.

The return of Pacheco for the 2021 season when he could have declared for the NFL draft or even transferred, is a testament to his work ethic but also his belief in the direction of the Rutgers program under head coach Greg Schiano.