The decisions made in the offseason regarding the lead-up to the NFL Draft are critical for every franchise as they seek to get younger and better at specific positions. Making these problematic decisions falls on the general managers and front office personnel keen on picking up the best available talent on the board.
Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. recently talked with former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum to get his thoughts on the Kansas City Chiefs NFL Draft seventh-round selection steal of running back Isiah Pacheco in 2022. Tannenbaum spoke on behalf of The 33rd Team during a special media availability, providing insight into a general manager’s mindset during the late draft rounds.
“He said they did a ten-year study on draft picks that hit and miss, and it was very interesting,” Tannenbaum explained. “He’s like if we just went with our grades literally that were like from this time of year like you watch the games period, end of story.
“Everyone’s gonna get some right, people get them right and wrong, but they’re more accurate when you don’t have the Senior Bowl, the (NFL Scouting) Combine the interviews and all the other things that we put a lot of time effort and money in.”
The Chiefs selected Isiah Pacheco without much fanfare in 2022 and watched as he immediately made an impact through training camp to become the starting running back eventually. He led the team in rushing this season, becoming one of the most essential parts of the offense.
“It’s kind of interesting because when you look at Brock (Purdy), a four-year starter at Iowa State, he was a good player, but it’s not going to test well, obviously,” said Tannenbaum. “(Isiah) Pacheco, [went] a little bit different under the radar at Rutgers, but when you put on the film, they’re really playing the same way they played in college.
“Coach (Bill) Parcells always had an expression like in the late rounds, you want to draft an attribute, and that attribute can be production. And certainly, like in [the] previous case, like you’re drafting experience, so not all late-round picks are gonna work out as we all know, but like that, to me, like Purdy, a really good example of the Casserly lesson of just go by the film and ignore everything else.”
Purdy was selected to his first Pro Bowl this season, while Pacheco continues to prove that general manager Brett Veach knows precisely what Kansas City needs moving forward.