12th Man Rising
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Seahawks drafted Rashaad Penny to start, but nothing is guaranteed

By Todd Vandenberg

SAN DIEGO, CA - SEPTEMBER 16: Rashaad Penny #20 of the San Diego State Aztecs runs past Harrison Phillips #66 and Justin Reid #8 of the Stanford Cardinal during the first half of a game at Qualcomm Stadium on September 16, 2017 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - SEPTEMBER 16: Rashaad Penny #20 of the San Diego State Aztecs runs past Harrison Phillips #66 and Justin Reid #8 of the Stanford Cardinal during the first half of a game at Qualcomm Stadium on September 16, 2017 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Rashaad Penny is expected to take the starting role at running back, but he’s got to get past at least two other guys to earn it.

It isn’t often that an NFL team drafts a player in the first round and his competition is a seventh round  pick and a practice squad player. Yet that’s exactly the situation Rashaad Penny finds himself in with the Seahawks, as he battles two starting running backs from 2017.

Rashaad Penny has about everything you could want in an NFL running back. His speed is excellent for 220 pounds, as he ran a 4.46 in the 40. Pro Football Focus ranked him by far the most elusive back in the draft, as he forced 86 missed tackles.

Naysayers may be concerned that Penny’s predecessor at San Diego State, Donnell Pumphrey, had similar stats. Superficially, maybe. Pumphrey had 2,133 yards rushing, 17 touchdowns, and added over 230 yards receiving. Penny ran for 2,248 yards and 23 touchdowns, with just 135 yards receiving.

First, you’ll notice a huge difference in touchdowns.  Penny had a third more rushing scores despite running the ball 60 fewer times. Throw in the Penny outweighs Pumphrey by 40 pounds and is two ticks faster (4.46 to 4.48), and you have the difference between a great college player (Pumphrey) and a great college player who can repeat his success in the NFL. That would be Mr. Penny.

Chris Carson
SEATTLE, WA – OCTOBER 01: Running back Chris Carson #32 of the Seattle Seahawks rushes against Nate Hairston #27 of 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) /

Penny may be the first pick, but he’s got stiff competition

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So Penny looks great. His problem is, the Seahawks have two running backs who started last year, and both of them can flat out ball. Those gentlemen would be Chris Carson and Mike Davis. Both players became favorites of the 12s, both outperformed all expectations. Well, all expectations except Pete Carroll’s.

Despite being drafted in the seventh round, Chris Carson got a lot of early praise from Coach Carroll. He stood out in training camp, eclipsing both Thomas Rawls and Eddie Lacy. Pro Football Focus graded Carson out at 82.5, which would put him right between Jay Ajayi and Joe Mixon, had he had enough carries to qualify.

At 5’11” and 218 pounds, he’s virtually the same size as Penny. His 40 time is a tenth of a second slower, but he did put up 23 reps in the combine, ten more than Penny. That power shows in every one of Carson’s runs. And he wasn’t the only running back who always kept the motor running.

Mike Davis of the Seahawks
SEATTLE, WA – DECEMBER 03: Running back Mike Davis #39 of the Seattle Seahawks drags several Philadelphia Eagles players with him during a rush in the first quarter at CenturyLink Field on December 3, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr /Getty Images) /

When Carson went down in the fourth game of the season, the Seahawks scrambled to find their running game. Finally they turned to their own practice squad and gave Mike Davis a chance. Davis made the most of the opportunity, just as Carson did. At 5’9″ and 217, he’s a little more compact than his running mates, and is still a load to handle. Davis proved to be a solid weapon coming out of the backfield too, as he snared 15 passes in six games.

Everyone competes for the Seahawks, always

The Seahawks are well known for their mantra of “Always Compete”. Some 12s may have forgotten, but six years the Seahawks signed one of the NFL’s hottest quarterback to a monster contract. Matt Flynn came up huge backing up Aaron Rodgers in 2011. His passer rating was 124.8, and he averaged an equally stunning 10.6 yards per attempt. The Seahawks jumped on him hard, and signed him to a three year, $26 million contract.

Luckily for the Seahawks, not so luckily for Flynn, Seattle drafted Russell Wilson that year in the third round. The hype didnt matter. The contract didn’t matter. Only one thing mattered, and that’s who was the best on the field. The Seahawks have followed that principle since 2010, and always will under Pete Carroll.

Related Story: The greatest draft round in the history of everything

Rashaad Penny will have every opportunity to be the number one back in Seattle. But he’s facing the toughest test of his life in Chris Carson and Mike Davis, two players who never give less than everything they’ve got. No matter who wins out, ultimately it’s a huge win for the Seahawks.

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