3 Seahawks 2022 draft picks with best chance of being Rookie of the Year

Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (call him Ken)

Walker was an absolute stud last year at Michigan State and had his best game on the biggest stage when Walker scored 5 touchdowns in a 37-33 victory over Michigan. He isn’t as big as the now-retired Chris Carson or Rashaad Penny but he is quicker and has more straight-out speed. He also isn’t the kind of back that can’t run the ball more than 12 times a game. Walker can go for more than 20, if needed.

The other issue with running backs in the NFL in today’s game is they tend to get used up quickly, unfortunately. A solid four-year run to start a back’s career is a success at this point. Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is six years into his career (and it feels more like 10 years) but the last two seasons, while he hasn’t been awful, he has not been nearly as good as he was in his first four years. In his first four seasons, he averaged 5.2 yards a touch and in his last two that has fallen to 4.5.

My point is that NFL teams should use young backs sooner rather than later. Walker might be the rare exception where he is able to play into his 30s and still be productive. My assumption, based on his build and speed and vision, is he will be a good running back in the league but he needs to be that straight off.

And running back is one of the few positions where a rookie can come in and make a great immediate impact. If Walker can learn the blocking scheme then he needs at least 10 carries a game, sharing the workload with Rashaad Penny, of course. But Walker might put up numbers good enough to win a Rookie of the Year award.