Isiah Pacheco (born March 2, 1999), is nicknamed"Pop", and is an American professionalfootballrunning back for theKansas City Chiefs of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theRutgers Scarlet Knights. Pacheco was drafted by the Chiefs in the seventh round of the2022 NFL draft. In his first two seasons with the Chiefs, he wonSuper Bowl LVII andSuper Bowl LVIII, scoring a touchdown in the former.

Isiah Pacheco

Pacheco in 2023
No. 10 –Kansas City Chiefs
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	(1999-03-02)March 2, 1999 (age 26) Vineland, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	216 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:	Vineland (NJ)
College:	Rutgers (2018–2021)
NFL draft:	2022: 7th round, 251st pick
Career history
Kansas City Chiefs (2022–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
2×Super Bowl champion (LVII,LVIII)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2024
Rushing yards: 2,075 Rushing average: 4.5 Rushing touchdowns: 13 Receptions: 69 Receiving yards: 453 Receiving touchdowns: 2 Stats atPro Football Reference

Pacheco was born inVineland, New Jersey to Felicia Cannon and Julio Pacheco.^[1][2] He is the youngest of five siblings, and of Puerto Rican descent on his father's side, and African-American descent on his mother's side.^[1][2] He playedPop Warner Football for the Vineland Blitz inCumberland County, New Jersey, and attendedVineland High School,^[3] where he played both quarterback and running back. His senior year he led the Fighting Clan with a dominating performance to win the Thanksgiving Day Classic against the rivalMillville Senior High School.^[4]

Pacheco was heavily recruited bySyracuse,Maryland,Rutgers,Virginia Tech, and other football programs along the East Coast. He committed to Rutgers University on June 21, 2017.^[5]

On August 20, 2019, Pacheco had 20 carries for 156 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Massachusetts.^[6] Pacheco saw consistent playing time in each of his four collegiate seasons, rushing 563 times for 2,442 yards (4.3 ypc) and scoring 18 touchdowns. He also caught 47 passes for 249 yards and one score.^[7]

Before gaining national attention,Isiah Pacheco was selected by theDraft Diamonds scouting staff to participate in the2022 Hula Bowl, an all-star game known for showcasing small-school and under-the-radar NFL prospects.^[8] He later competed in theEast–West Shrine Bowl, one of the premier college all-star games, helping to raise his profile before the2022 NFL Draft.

Pacheco was selected in the seventh round with the 251st overall pick of the2022 NFL draft by theKansas City Chiefs.^[12]

In his NFL debut in week 1 against theArizona Cardinals, Pacheco scored his first career NFL rushing touchdown on a 3-yard run.^[13] He recorded his first career start in the Chiefs week 7 game against theSan Francisco 49ers.^[14] In a Week 11 matchup against theLos Angeles Chargers, Pacheco rushed for a career-high 107 yards on 15 carries.^[15]

He finished the regular season with 830 rushing yards and 130 receiving yards (a total of 960 scrimmage yards), alongside five touchdowns on the ground. He returned 29 kickoffs for 597 yards.^[16]

In his first professional season, Pacheco was the starting running back for the Chiefs inSuper Bowl LVII. In the Super Bowl, Pacheco had 76 yards and a touchdown as the Chiefs defeated thePhiladelphia Eagles 38–35.^[17] Following the season, Pacheco underwent surgeries to repair a torn labrum and broken hand, which he stated he had played through during the Super Bowl.^[18]

In Week 4 of the 2023 season against the Jets, Pacheco had 158 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in the victory.^[19] In Week 12 against the Raiders, he had two rushing touchdowns in the victory.^[20] In Week 17 against the Bengals, he had 130 rushing yards and a receiving touchdown in the victory.^[21] Pacheco appeared in 14 games and started 13 in the 2023 season. He finished with 205 carries for 935 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns to go with 44 receptions for 244 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.^[22] In each of the first three playoff games for the Chiefs, he scored a rushing touchdown.^[23] Pacheco's second NFL season ended with the Chiefs winningSuper Bowl LVIII against theSan Francisco 49ers 25–22 with Pacheco rushing for 59 yards and recording six catches for 33 yards.^[24] The Chiefs became the first team to repeat as champions since theNew England Patriots did it in2003 and2004.^[25] Pacheco made history in 2024 being the only running back in NFL history to win two Super Bowls in his first two seasons.^[26]

Pacheco returned as the Chiefs starting running back in 2024. He suffered a fractured fibula in Week 2 and was placed on injured reserve on September 18, 2024.^[27] He was activated on November 28, 2024, and played in the Week 13 matchup against theLas Vegas Raiders.^[28] He finished the 2024 season with 83 carries for 310 yards and one touchdown in seven games.^[29] He played in Super Bowl LIX, recording 12 scrimmage yards in the 40–22 loss to the Eagles.^[30]

Pacheco has overcome tragedy as his brother Travoise Cannon was killed in January 2016 and his sister Celeste Cannon was murdered in September 2017.^[2] He has tattoos of his sister and brother in a mural on his right arm alongside other tattoos representing essential parts of his roots, including one representing New Jersey, Vineland High School and Rutgers University.^[2][31]

• Career statistics fromNFL.com · ESPN · CBS Sports · Yahoo Sports · Pro Football Reference
• Kansas City Chiefs bio
• Rutgers Scarlet Knights bio