Deacons Daily

Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III shows out in first NFL start

The rookie running back and former Wake Forest Demon Deacon played a big part in the Seattle Seahawks 19-9 win over the Arizona Cardinals

Eliot Leadem

Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III shows out in first NFL start
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III shows out in first NFL start /

Kenneth Walker III rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown on 21 carriers in Seattle’s win over the Arizona Cardinals 19-9 on Sunday. He also chipped in 13 receiving yards on two catches.

Walker’s longest carry on Sunday went 34 yards. Check out his shifty moves on this chunk play in the first quarter:

His touchdown run came at an important time in the game. With Seattle up 12-9, looking to make it a two possession game, Walker took the handoff, made a move to the edge, and found the end zone. Major style points on this one too:

Walker has quickly emerged as the RB1 for the Seahawks following the season-ending lower leg injury to starter Rashaad Penny. Penny has been a strong contributor for Seattle since he was taken in the first round in 2018 (5.7 career yards per carry). But he’s been injury-prone and has never been able to stay healthy for a full season.

While the Seahawks planned to utilize both talented backs this season, Walker displayed on Sunday that he is fully capable of being a feature back. He was on the field for 47 of the team’s 68 offensive snaps (69%). Prior to last week’s game when Penny went down, Walker hadn’t topped a 35% percent snap share in his young NFL career.

Walker missed the season opener against the Broncos due to an ankle injury. In weeks 2-4, he wasn’t very productive in limited opportunities, rushing for a combined 48 yards on 15 carries.

The 41st overall draft pick and second running back off the board in the 2022 Draft, Walker entered the league as a highly touted prospect.

When Penny was forced out of Seattle’s Week 5 contest against the Saints, Walker immediately stepped into the feature role and made an impact. He recorded 8 rush attempts for 88 yards in the game. A large chunk of that came on one play - when Walker broke free for a 69-yard run, the fourth-longest run in the entire league so far this season.

What strikes me about Walker’s playmaking is his patience at the snap and quick acceleration. Already this season, we can see his ability to explode in space and find the outside, quite reminiscent of his collegiate seasons at Wake Forest (2019-2020) and Michigan State (2021).

Walker ran a lightning quick 4.38 second 40 yard dash at the NFL combine, ranking in the 95th percentile.

A three star recruit out of Arlington, Tennessee, Walker started his college career with Wake Forest in 2018. He somehow went under the radar as a prospect, with his only other offers according to ESPN coming from Arkansas State and Kent State.

During his true freshman season, Walker played behind senior Cade Carney. In a backup role, Walker scored 4 touchdowns and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. 

Walker was much more involved as a sophomore in 2020. Over 7 games, Walker ran for 579 yards, amassing 13 TDs before entering the transfer portal and thus causing him to forfeit his last two games. He split work with Christian Beal-Smith, which formed one of the more lethal rushing duos that head coach Dave Clawson has ever formed.

Walker was fully let loose when he arrived at Michigan State, vastly outmatching his two output at Wake Forest with 1,636 rushing yards and 19 total touchdowns. He finished sixth in Heisman voting as a junior. After one dominant season in the Big Ten with the Spartans, Walker was ready to take his talents to the next level.

The Seahawks moved to 3-3 on the season with the win. Walker and co. will look to keep the momentum going next Sunday when the team takes on the Los Angeles Chargers.

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Eliot Leadem
ELIOT LEADEM

Eliot is a contributing writer for Deacons Daily

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