12th Man Rising
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Seahawks will not draft a running back in the first round

By Todd Vandenberg

SEATTLE, WA - OCTOBER 01: Running back Chris Carson #32 of the Seattle Seahawks rushes against the Indianapolis Colts in the third quarter of the game at CenturyLink Field on October 1, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - OCTOBER 01: Running back Chris Carson #32 of the Seattle Seahawks rushes against the Indianapolis Colts in the third quarter of the game at CenturyLink Field on October 1, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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Mike Davis
SEATTLE, WA – DECEMBER 03: Running back Mike Davis #39 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates on the sidelines as time runs out against the Philadelphia Eagles at CenturyLink Field on December 3, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks beat the Eagles 24-10. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

Can the Seahawks get a quality back after the first round?

Yes, obviously. I could go on with previous drafts, but you have to go back to 2012 to find the next running back taken in the first round. Even more instructive is who’s been taken in later rounds. Just a quick look at recent drafts:

Third round picks:

Alvin Kamara – over 1,500 yards from scrimmage, 13 touchdowns.

Kareem Hunt – over 1,700 total yards, 11 touchdowns.

Tevin Coleman – over 900 combined yards in 2016 and 2017 as part of the Falcons tandem.

David Johnson – over 1,000 total yards as a rookie, over 2,100 total in 2016.

Fifth round picks:

Alex Collins – He sure came through for the Ravens. Over 1,100 combined yards in 2017.

Jay Ajayi – 1,400 yards in 2016, then escaped the Dolphins for 5.8 yards per carry for the Eagles.

Pretty sure we all know it’s possible to even find value in the seventh round, right? And that leads me to exactly why the Seahawks won’t be drafting a running back in the first round. Or in the second or third, if they happen to trade down. “If” they trade down – that’s comedy gold right there.

Seahawks already have talent in the backfield

Anyway, there’s certainly no guarantee the Seahawks would find another Chris Carson in the seventh round in 2018. The good news is, they don’t have to; they already have him. And they have Mike Davis as well. Carson is coming back from injury, and Davis got dinged a few times. I’m not suggesting the Seahawks can rely on these two for 16 games each. Sadly, we know Seattle can’t depend on C.J. Prosise, the only other running back on the roster, to make it through the season.

But both Davis and Carson showed they can get the job done when healthy. We’ve seen that higher draft picks aren’t necessarily the answer. Second round pick Christine Michael, anyone? We’ve also seen that splashy free agent signings don’t always pan out. No, I’m not even typing his name. It’s too painful to recall how high my expectations were for him. I wasn’t the only one, but self-ridicule is as far as I’ll go.

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