One Kansas City Chiefs player that was awesome in the Super Bowl was running back Isiah Pacheco.
Despite being drafted in the seventh round of this past NFL draft, Pacheco emerged as the Chiefs’ best rusher this season.
There is no question the Cheifs have been one of the best drafting teams in the NFL.
That is a huge reason why they are consistently one of the final four teams standing.
Finding late-round draft picks that can contribute is crucial.
Mostly because they are getting paid almost nothing and still having a big impact.
Pacheco was one of the stars of the game and almost no one knew his name during the first half of the season.
#Chiefs Isiah Pacheco had 76 rushing yards and a TD last night.
He was the first rookie running running back since 1988 to be drafted after the top-32 picks to have 75+ yards + a TD in the SB
Pacheco played a huge role in their win. Chiefs stole him in the 7th round last draft. pic.twitter.com/OOmEA2nPPc
— Eric Galko (@EricGalko) February 13, 2023
The Chiefs continue to build their roster the right way.
One way of doing that is by not paying running backs, instead drafting ones on day two or three of the NFL draft.
Each year we see a few impact running backs come from rounds 4-7 in the draft.
Some other running backs picked in the fourth round or later include Dameon Pierce, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Tony Pollard.
It even turns out that most running backs making small amounts of money are usually on Super Bowl teams.
Take a look at the leading rusher from the last 14 Super Bowls and their base salary: pic.twitter.com/sBC97Upzh0
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) February 13, 2023
While not every late-round running back hits, it is still worth it to draft one each year.
Just looking at the Super Bowl, Pacheo outplayed the Eagles’ 2019 second-round pick Miles Sanders who had only 16 yards.
A lot more goes into winning a Super Bowl than just a low-salary running back.
But reliable starters can be had at the back end of each draft if you know where to look.
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