KC Chiefs rookie report: Isiah Pacheco starts versus Jaguars

Leo Chenal, Linebacker (Round 3, Pick 103)

This past week was very encouraging for young linebacker Leo Chenal as Week 10 was the best game he has played all season. He didn’t play a ton (11 snaps) but he made an impact. Chenal recorded his first career NFL sack after blitzing Trevor Lawrence and circling back to get him after the Jaguars quarterback attempted to scramble. He also played well against the run and in coverage. If Chenal can play as he did on Sunday consistently, the Chiefs may have found another gem at linebacker. The question is consistency. He missed at least one tackle in each of his previous four games and needs to prove that he’s cleaned up that portion of his game. If he continues to grow, he will be an excellent complement to Nick Bolton and Willie Gay.

Jaylen Watson, Cornerback (Round 7, Pick 243)

After a stellar first three weeks of the season, Jaylen Watson has struggled over the past six games. Over that span, he’s allowed a 144.2 passer rating when targeted in man coverage (8-of-10, 91 yards, and two touchdowns). He saw fewer snaps than Joshua Williams, which could be a sign that he’s now fourth on the cornerback depth chart, behind Williams, L’Jarius Sneed, and Trent McDuffie. That’s perfectly fine since he is a seventh-round rookie and stepped when he was needed most. He will likely continue to play a reduced role but has shown that he can hold his own when asked.

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

It was a rough start to the game for Isiah Pacheco as he fumbled in the red zone on the Chiefs’ first drive of the game. Fortunately, Jacksonville punted on the ensuing drive, so no harm, no foul in the end. He finished the game with 82 rushing yards on 16 carries for a solid average of 5.1 yards per carry. He also had two runs over 10 yards as well as 3.69 Yards After Contact per Attempt, per PFF ($), which is 5th out of 31 running backs with at least seven attempts in Week 10 (through Sunday). Week 10 was also the week where Pacheco played his most offensive snaps (35), compared to his previous high of 22 (Week 9).

Although he did not have any receiving stats, Pacheco showed enough on Sunday that he should be the starting running moving forward, or at least play a consistent role in the running game. He will likely continue to split time with Jerick McKinnon as the Chiefs may have found a combination that works. We’ll see if that sticks around shortly, but if Sunday was any indication, Kansas City may have cracked the code when it comes to figuring out how to maximize production from their running back room.