KC Chiefs rookies shine once again in Week 2 vs. Chargers

Isiah Pacheco, Running Back (Round 7, Pick 251)

Isiah Pacheco had a lot of preseason hype surrounding him and despite being a seventh-round pick, he defied the odds and made the team. Over the first two games of the 2022 NFL season, Pacheco saw 14 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown as well as a fumble that wasn’t lost. The high majority of that was in the Chiefs’ first game against Arizona and only had two carries for six yards against the Chargers.

He only saw five snaps on offense the entire game on Thursday, two being the rush attempts and he was pass-protecting on the remaining three. In his three pass-blocking snaps, he had an underwhelming night as he gave up one pressure which turned into a 25.3 pass-blocking grade for those three snaps, per PFF ($).

Pacheco saw decreased playing time from Week 1 to Week 2 but that can be explained by the fact that there were zero garbage time drives for the Chiefs’ offense and that Clyde Edwards-Helaire had a very strong game. Pacheco likely won’t be the lead back for Kansas City this season, unless CEH is hurt, but he can still be a contributor to this football team in his rookie year.

Joshua Williams, Cornerback (Round 4, Pick 135)

After seeing a little bit of playing on defense against the Cardinals, cornerback Joshua Williams failed to see a snap on defense Thursday against the Chargers.

After a solid defensive game against Arizona, he saw exclusively special teams time against the Chargers. In twelve special teams snaps, Williams did not record a statistic but I felt that he was solid when he did see the field.

Leo Chenal, Linebacker (Round 3, Pick 103)

After only seeing 10 snaps on defense in Week 1, Leo Chenal’s snap count shot up to 22 against the Los Angeles Chargers. He saw the field primarily in garbage time against the Cardinals but took the field in important situations versus the Chargers.

Chenal has appeared to replace Darius Harris as the third linebacker on the defense and he played very well when he was on the field. He recorded a hit on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, a tackle, an assisted tackle, and a defensive stop, according to PFF ($). He also saw ten snaps in coverage and wasn’t targeted a single time.

Leo Chenal showed room for improvement in run defense Thursday but that was one of his strengths coming out of Wisconsin so I don’t have a ton of worry. He appears to have a bright future, which he flashed against the Chargers, but he still has room to grow and has the chance to be a stud for this defense in the foreseeable future.