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With running back Chris Carson’s neck injury plaguing the future of their backfield, the Seattle Seahawks knew they needed to find another back to pair with starter Rashaad Penny. Seattle opted to draft a running back in with the 41st pick in the 2022 NFL Draft knowing Carson’s status was up in the air. They went with Michigan State standout Kenneth Walker III, the reigning Doak Walker Award winner for the nation’s best running back in college football. It turned out to be a wise decision as Carson would announce his retirement from the NFL on July 26th and Penny would go down with a season-ending injury only a few weeks into the year.
After producing 110 all-purpose yards, including 97 rushing with a touchdown, taking the Michigan State running back in the second round is looking smarter and smarter by the week. When Rashad Penny went down in the third quarter of their Week 6 loss against New Orleans, Kenneth Walker III came in and hit the ground running as he racked up 88 yards and a TD on only eight carries. Over the last five and a half quarters, Walker is turning heads as he’s gone for 185 yards on 29 carries, averaging 6.4 yards a carry. In Sunday’s win over the Cardinals, Walker’s 11-yard TD run in the fourth quarter that helped put the Seahawks ahead by two scores.
Walker’s success so far is not that surprising when you look back at last season when he rushed for 1,648 yards at Michigan St., which was second-overall in the entire country. Head coach Pete Carroll is a run-first coach and will continue giving Walker touches as long as he’s producing. After all, with Penny out, Carroll doesn’t have a whole lot of choices but he’s blessed having his rookie playing like a seasoned veteran thus far. Expect to see continued success from Walker moving forward as defenses are going to struggle to contain his electric running game.
