Isiah Pacheco Disrespected in Latest NFL RB Rankings

Isiah Pacheco enjoyed a breakout 2023-24 campaign, notching 1,179 yards from scrimmage with nine TDs in only 14 games as he established himself as one of the most effective running backs in the NFL.

However, he's still being overlooked nationally. Pro Football Focus recently released their rankings of the top 32 backs in the league, conspicuously overlooking the two-time Super Bowl champion.

Pacheco is somehow listed at No. 15, behind players like Kenneth Walker III and Tony Pollard. Given Pacheco's outsized importance to this Chiefs team, I find that ranking to be ridiculous.

Isiah Pacheco Shamefully Overlooked in NFL RB Rankings

Thomas Valentine of PFF writes, "Pacheco runs like he’s mad at the ground for its existence. The Chiefs’ seventh-round pick from 2023 rushed for 935 yards and seven touchdowns en route to helping the team to back-to-back Super Bowl wins. Averaging 4.6 yards per carry, Pacheco earned an 82.3 grade in 2023 and tallied 11 runs of 15-plus yards. He’ll continue to be a real weapon for the Chiefs in their pursuit of immortality."

All of that sounds great, but Pacheco deserves to be much higher than 15th. Pollard, for example, averaged only 4.0 yards per carry, and Walker averaged only 4.1. Pacheco scored three TDs in the playoffs as well, cementing his status as a big-game performer.

If he wasn't drafted in the seventh round, national media would talk about Pacheco in a much different light. Imagine if he had the draft capital of a guy like Bijan Robinson?

When you're evaluating NFL players, their production should matter more than their pedigree. Pacheco has the production to identify as one of the league's premier running backs, routinely making huge plays in critical moments for the Chiefs.

While PFF is disrespecting Pacheco here, he has the hardware to prove his worth. In the end, that's all that really matters.

More Kansas City Chiefs News: