Let’s look back at Isiah Pacheco’s NFL Combine performance from a year ago and how he compared to others in the 40-yard dash.
Looking back, the signs were always there that Isiah Pacheco could be special. Of course, no one could know for sure, and even telling signs can end up misleading, but it’s fun to see how right the Kansas City Chiefs were in their selection of Pacheco in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Just last year at this time, Pacheco was in the midst of his pre-draft journey, a grueling few months of training, of interviews, of medical checks, of more interviews, of drills, and finally even more interviews. Prospects like Pacheco, who was eventually selected in the seventh round of the draft, have to jump through more hoops than most as they try to impress someone—anyone!—in order to make their dreams of playing professional football come true.
For the Chiefs, Pacheco represented excellent value as a potentially exciting back taken with one of three picks in the final round of a draft in which they submitted 10 selections overall.
While he was never all that productive at Rutgers, Pacheco was a dependable back built like a tank who ran with the sort of fervor that every college prospect should exhibit. Beyond that, he had a surprising top speed that ranked him among the best in his class. Yet somehow it never turned into a dominant effort in any single season in the Big Ten.
The fastest 40-yard dash times for RBs in 2022
Coming into the Combine, no one knew what to expect for Pacheco, but he put his name on the map with the second best 40-yard dash among running backs in his class with a 4.37 second time.
Here are the top RB times in the 40-yard dash from the 2022 NFL Combine.
- Pierre Strong, 4.37 seconds
- Isiah Pacheco, 4.37 seconds
- Ty Chandler, 4.38 seconds
- Kenneth Walker, 4.38 seconds
- D’vonte Price, 4.38 seconds
- Breece Hall, 4.39 seconds
- Zamir White, 4.40 seconds
- James Cook, 4.42 seconds
- Tyler Goodson, 4.42 seconds
- Trestan Ebner, 4.43 seconds
The Chiefs knew they had someone who could come in and compete for serious reps but no one could have predicted he would take over the lead back role by midseason and finish No. 10 overall in offensive rookie of the year voting in the NFL. Pacheco is one of the better stories from the 2022 NFL Draft class.