There’s been some speculation this offseason that the Kansas City Chiefs could decide not to keep running back Isaiah Pacheco past this upcoming season. Last month, Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline mentioned that the Chiefs don’t intend to offer the former seventh-round pick a contract extension ahead of this upcoming season.
Pauline added that the organization wants to see if he can rebound to his old form and stay healthy. Last season, Pacheco missed nine games after suffering a fractured fibula in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
That being said, it wouldn’t be surprising to see if the Chiefs entertain the idea of taking a running back in the 2025 NFL Draft, despite having Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Elijah Mitchell, and Carson Steele.
On Thursday, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach spoke to reporters about this year’s RB draft class, and his comments should put Pacheco on notice.
According to Chiefs senior team reporter Matt Mullen, Veach said this year’s RB draft class is “probably the deepest group” in the 2025 draft. The KC general manager also said there are a lot of talented players between Rounds 1-5, and it's “a good likelihood” that one of those guys ends up on the team’s roster.
Brett Veach says the running back class is probably the deepest position group in the draft.
— Matt McMullen (@KCChiefs_Matt) April 17, 2025
He mentioned really good players will be available in Rounds 1 through 5, and there's "a good likelihood" one of those players ends up on the Chiefs' roster.
The Chiefs have eight picks in this year’s NFL draft, including four within the top 100. It’s unlikely Kansas City will take a running back with their first pick at No. 31 overall. However, anything after that is wide open for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs haven’t visited with many running back prospects during the draft cycle, as Arizona’s Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Miami’s Damien Martinez were the only reported RB visits. But that doesn’t mean Kansas City hasn’t done its homework on the class.
Kansas City will have multiple options available to them in Days 2 and 3, such as Devin Neal (Kansas), Jaydon Blue (Texas), Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State), Kaleb Johnson (Iowa), LeQuint Allen (Syracuse), etc.
Regardless of who they pick, Pacheco will be on the proverbial hot seat to play better in 2025 after a down 2024 season (310 yards on 83 carries and a touchdown – 3.7 YPC).