Seattle Seahawks: Kenneth Walker III Has Sky-High Potential
The Seattle Seahawks drafted running back Kenneth Walker III out of Michigan State, and he has the potential to help rebuild the Seahawks’ offensive team.
While the Seattle Seahawks have had an eventful off-season, there’s no secret that the entire team is going through a massive rebuilding phase. As they’ve lost multiple veteran players who contributed to their success over the past decade, the Seahawks must commit to drastic changes for next season.
Coming out of a disappointing 2021 season, the Seahawks must use this as motivation to come back stronger. One way of doing that is by adjusting their offense so their performance can be on par with what they were a few years ago, considering the Seahawks had a reliable offense that helped them become one of the best teams in the NFC.
Furthermore, as the NFL Draft has already taken place, the Seahawks drafted running back Kenneth Walker III in the second round, who appears to be one of the more promising draftees coming out of the draft for the Seahawks. Playing out of Michigan State, Kenneth Walker III is a former First-team All-Big Ten of 2021, as the 21-year-old decided to make the jump to the NFL Draft this year and forgo his senior year in college.
Kenneth Walker III could be an essential part of the rebuilding phase for the Seattle Seahawks, especially as both Seahawks running backs Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny are currently dealing with injuries. One of those reasons is what he accomplished in college.
With accolades including the 2021 Walter Camp Award, the 2021 Doak Walker Award, the 2021 Unanimous All-American, and the 2021 Ameche–Dayne Running Back of the Year, Kenneth Walker III was a highly regarded back during his starting position at Michigan State in 2021. It’s worth noting his impressive stats in his starting position at Michigan State, earning 1,636 yards throughout the season with an average carry of 6.2 yards.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has updated how well Kenneth Walker III is doing regarding mini-camp, to which he expressed his optimism as he referred to Kenneth Walker III as “a rocket.” Considering the injury status of both Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Walker III potentially adjusting to the Seahawks team is good news for the organization.
“He took off now, he’s a rocket,” Pete Carroll stated via Pro Football Talk. “He caught the ball really well today, too, which we are really excited about. Our offense, the terminology, and the concepts that we have run, he’s run before, and he was well prepared at Michigan State coming to us.”
“He understood the terminology to some extent too, so it’s really going to facilitate him being comfortable with the transition. We will expect no issues there at all, he will be able to go. He was very bursty, very quick.”
Though the NFL is a different landscape for college athletes, one should keep an eye out for Kenneth Walker III regarding his potential to become a breakout rookie.