Why Seahawks should draft Breece Hall to replace Chris Carson

Whether the Seahawks get good seasons out of Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny or not, Seattle needs to find a good running back in the 2022 NFL draft. There is no reason that the future of the Seattle running game can’t be Iowa State’s Breece Hall.

Hall is a nearly perfect fit for not only a Pete Carroll-type running back but also in offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s system. He is big and fast and can grind out short yards when needed.

Hall was extremely productive for all the right reasons in his three years in college: His numbers weren’t due to the system he was in; Hall produced so much because he was good enough on his own to do so.

Breece Hall could be the Seahawks next great running back

But let’s be real. Expecting Penny to play a full season seems to go against his entire pro history. And thinking Carson will come back from his neck injury at all, and then to assume he will play a nearly full season in 2022, seems illogical. Seattle could release Carson and save $3 million.

Plus, Hall might have the talent to already step in Week 1 and replace both Carson and Penny. Really the only drawback to Hall is he might have been used too much in college as he had 302 touches in 2020 and 289 in 2021. This probably hurts Hall’s draft stock and teams might be reluctant to take a running back who might already have so many miles on him.

Hall did turn all those touches into great productivity, however. In 2020. he had 1,752 total yards (1,572 rushing and 180 receiving) and in 2021Hall had a total of 1,774 yards (1,472 rushing and 302 receiving).

Hall is 6’1″ and 220 pounds but ran a 4.39 40 at the NFL combine. For a running back, that speed is elite. But Hall also has great size. Carroll likes his running backs to be bigger but Waldron also learned how to use backs like Todd Gurley when he was with the Rams.

Hall is Gurley-sized and likely capable of carrying a heavy load in the NFL. Gurley might have gotten overworked a bit, especially early in his career, but Gurley had a knee issue before he came into the league. Hall doesn’t.

The Seahawks need to absolutely take Hall in the second round. If Seattle is really going to get back to running the ball more then they need running backs who can do it well and consistently. That includes Hall and not Chris Carson.