Kenneth Walker might be ready to leave. It isn't that running back is unhappy with the Seattle Seahawks, but rather, he might have an opportunity to get paid more elsewhere. If that happens, running back Mike Washington Jr. might be a great replacement in the 2026 NFL draft.
Washington is bigger than Walker at 6'1" and 223 pounds, but he has the type of speed that can at least come close to matching the Super Bowl MVP's. He proved as much at the Scouting Combine this weekend.
The Arkansas product ran a 4.33 40-yard dash and was second among all RBs in both the broad jump (10'8") and vertical leap (39"). He clearly has the raw athleticism to be a productive running back. He also cares whether he succeeds or not.
Mike Washington Jr. might be the Seattle Seahawks perfect replacement for Kenneth Walker
After running his 40, Washington became overwhelmed with emotion and was tearful. He told the NFL Network's Stacey Dales, "I'm so emotional, man. I worked my entire life for this."
That is the kind of emotion that had the Seahawks feel so connected as a team this season. Head coach Mike Macdonald doesn't want robots. He definitely wants players to do what the coaching staff asks, but he also wants a roster full of real human beings who care about what they do and help one another.
Washington isn't a perfect product yet, though. While he has straight-ahead speed that's extremely impressive, he can be a bit slow to attack the middle of the line of scrimmage. This is something Kenneth Walker has struggled with at times, too. He often hesitated while looking for a hole to run through before doing so. That trend diminished as the 2025 season grew old.
The Arkansas running back can probably be coached to adjust his running style. Teams will take a chance on players, especially running backs, who have the athleticism to succeed but maybe not the best technique. The other problem that Washington must fix is that he needs to decrease his number of fumbles.
While the running back finished his college career at Arkansas, he played for three different schools, starting at Buffalo for three years, moving to New Mexico State for a season, and then going to Arkansas. His best season was his last when he rushed for 1,066 yards, averaged 6.4 yards per carry, scored eight touchdowns, but fumbled three times. He fumbled four times the year before.
Still, he is big and strong enough to run through would-be tacklers. He averaged 3.86 yards after first contact in 2025. The same ability to translate to the NFL.
With his combine performance, Mike Washington Jr. probably made himself into a second-round selection. This would be no big deal for the Seattle Seahawks, as they chose Kenneth Walker in round two in 2022 and Zach Charbonnet in the same round in 2023. Should Walker leave in free agency, it would make sense for Washington to replace him.