Kenneth Walker

Teams don't draft running backs in the second round with the idea of them being backups forever, but it's not obvious what will give in the competition between Walker (2022) and fellow second-round pick Zach Charbonnet (2023). The two were not close in 2023; Walker was far and away the Seahawks' preferred runner, to the point that they fed him carries even when he could barely practice because of oblique and shoulder issues in the second half of the season. While the two finished the year with similar snap counts (Walker: 476, Charbonnet: 454), the rookie was mostly used on pass plays and had less than half as many carries (108 to Walker's 219) despite playing one more game (16 to 15). Perhaps Charbonnet will close that gap going into his second year, after averaging just 5.4 carries in the 14 games both he and Walker played last year. Walker is the faster of the two and more densely built (four inches shorter yet only three pounds lighter), but the Seahawks seem to trust Charbonnet more as a blocker/receiver, and he was no slouch running the ball at UCLA (2,496 rushing yards, 27 TDs in two seasons). Walker was even more productive in his one year at Michigan State (1,636 yards, 18 TDs), and he's subsequently proven himself at the next level with 1,955 rushing yards in two season, including better work as a situational runner/chain-mover in 2023 after his rookie year was defined by a mix of long runs and frequent stuffs.

Walker seemingly cleared a crucial hurdle when Rashaad Penny signed with Philadelphia in free agency, only to see the Seahawks spend a second-round pick on a running back (UCLA's Zach Charbonnet) for a second straight year. Walker was a second-round pick last year and thrived after Penny's season-ending leg injury, averaging 18.6 carries for 82.2 yards (4.4 YPC) over his final 11 appearances. Just like he had at Michigan State the year before, Walker repeatedly took 20-carry workloads and turned them into 100-plus yards on the ground. Questions will persist about Walker as a receiver – he never did it in college and as a rookie he was inconclusive at best – but as a runner he excels. The problem now is that Charbonnet is similarly talented and comes to Seattle at the same the Seahawks are adding a credible third receiver (first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba). There are more mouths to feed, but Walker doesn't lack for upside as the incumbent starter in an offense that was above average last season and now has two top-60 picks coming in to help QB Geno Smith.

The second running back taken in this year's draft, Walker went to Seattle with the 41st overall pick after a huge junior season at Michigan State that included a 75-yard TD run on his first carry. A compact, powerful runner at 5-9, 211, Walker opened eyes at the combine with a surprising 4.39 40 time, raising his draft stock even higher after the big finish to his college career. Without Russell Wilson this season, the Seattle offense could be even more run-heavy than it was last year, though efficiency likely will be a problem until the team finds a new franchise quarterback. Former first-round pick Rashaad Penny finished 2021 on a tear and thus enters camp as the starting running back, but he's missed nearly as many games (28) as he's played (37) through four NFL seasons, so it may not be long before Walker gets his shot as the lead back.