The Seattle Seahawks are one of the best stories of the first half of the NFL season. Pete Carroll’s squad is 4-3 and alone atop the NFC West. And Kenneth Walker III, the dynamic rookie running back, is one of the biggest reasons why.
Walker went for 168 yards (most among NFL backs in Week 7) in the Seahawks’ 37-23 road victory against the Los Angeles Chargers. He’s suddenly a top contender for Offensive Rookie of the Year and the very deserving winner of Pro Football Network’s Breakthrough Player of Week 7.
Kenneth Walker III Is PFN’s Breakthrough Player of Week 7
Walker is a bonafide home run threat. In the last three weeks, he’s had two touchdown runs of over 60 yards, including a 74-yard jaunt in the fourth quarter Sunday that iced the game.
It was the eighth-longest run in franchise history, with Walker hitting a max speed of 22.09 MPH per NFL Next Gen Stats, making him the fastest RB of the year to date.
Walker, who had three runs of 15 or more yards against LA, became the Seahawks’ featured back when Rashaad Penny went down in the second half of Seattle’s Week 5 loss to New Orleans.
Since Penny’s injury, Walker has carried the ball 49 times for 346 yards. His 265 rushing yards are the most in franchise history in a player’s first two starts. He is averaging a 20+ yard gain once every 13.4 carries and a first down once every 3.9.
Walker said Sunday that getting into the open field is “a great feeling, because it’s rare. It doesn’t really happen much in football, so when you get the opportunity, you’ve got to make the best of it.”
Who Is Kenneth Walker III?
It makes sense that Walker is running away from linebackers and safeties in the NFL. He was one of the fastest running backs in this year’s draft, clocking a 4.38-second 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine.
With that sort of natural ability, it’s stunning that he went so overlooked coming out of high school. Born and raised in Arlington, Tenn., Walker was just a two-star recruit. He ultimately picked Wake Forest over the likes of Eastern Kentucky, Indiana State, and Mercer.
He was productive his first two collegiate seasons, but it wasn’t until he transferred to Michigan State in 2021 that the nation discovered just how special he is. Walker was the driving force behind that team’s 11-2 campaign.
He won the Walter Camp (collegiate player of the year) and Doak Walker (top running back) awards in 2021 after rushing for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns in his lone season at Michigan State.
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Walker showed more than enough that year to make the jump to the NFL, and the Seahawks eagerly took him 41st overall, making him the second RB selected.
Walker was part of what’s looking like a fantastic 2022 Seahawks draft class that accounted for six of the team’s 22 starters in Sunday’s win. The others? Tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, linebacker Boye Mafe, and cornerbacks Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen.
“He’s just got a ton of ability,” Carroll said. “He’s really a natural football player. There’s nothing he can’t do. He can catch it, he can run it, he can break the big plays, he can run short yardage, he can run off tackle, he can run around the edge like you saw on the big play. He’s a terrific draft pick. He’s a terrific guy to add to our football team.”
Walker’s Outlook for Rest of 2022 Season
If Walker had been Seattle’s RB1 to start the season, he might have won the NFL rushing title. His 411 rushing yards are 14th among NFL running backs, but none of the 13 ahead of him have a better average (6.1).
In the last two weeks, Walker has gotten 44 of the team’s 52 RB carries. And with wide receiver DK Metcalf now hurt, that workload should only grow.
“That kid is unbelievable, man,” wide receiver Tyler Lockett said Sunday. “He’s a star in the making. The way he gets better each and every week, you can tell the more and more opportunities he gets, the more comfortable he gets, and the more electrifying he is. This is exactly why we drafted him. We knew what he could do, and everybody on the team is excited he’s with us.”