Kenneth Walker - Fantasy Points Outlook

What You Need to Know:

• Walker opened his college career with 2 underwhelming seasons at Wake Forest.
  • As a freshman, he played behind senior Cade Carney, carrying 98 times for 579 yards and 4 TDs.
  • Walker again finished 2nd among the team’s RBs in carries in 2020, this time behind junior Christian Beal. He boosted his per-game production, though, finishing with 119 carries for 579 yards and 13 TDs across 7 games.
• Walker transferred to Michigan State for his 2021 junior campaign and exploded.
  • He ranked 2nd in the country with 1,636 rushing yards and tied for 8th with 18 rushing scores.
  • Walker topped 100 yards in 8 of 12 games, including a pair of 200+ yard games.
  • He was a workhorse, toting it 19+ times in all but 2 outings.
  • Walker led the country in missed tackles forced, according to Pro Football Focus.
  • He ranked 10th in PFF’s rushing grades among 170 RBs with 100+ carries.
• Walker was not nearly as productive in the passing game in college.
  • He totaled 6 catches across his 2 seasons at Wake Forest.
  • He posted a 13-89-1 receiving line last year, accounting for just 2.7% of Michigan State’s receiving yards.
  • Among 169 RBs with 15+ targets last season, Walker ranked 109th in PFF receiving grade and 163rd in yards per route run.
• Walker checked into the Combine at 5’9, 211 pounds and posted the following marks in athletic testing:
  • 4.38-second 40-yard dash (95th percentile)
  • 34-inch vertical (45th)
  • 122-inch broad (75th)
• The Seahawks selected Walker with the 41st overall pick of this spring’s draft. He was the 2nd RB off the board, 5 spots behind Breece Hall.
• Walker joins the backfield alongside Rashaad Penny, a 2018 1st-round pick who finally broke out with a massive 5-game stretch to close last season.
• HC Pete Carroll was already talking up a committee backfield in May. Seattle still has RBs Chris Carson, Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas on the roster.
  • "We like playing multiple guys, and we don’t have any problem with that at all," Carroll said. "I’ve said it to you a million times. I’m fine going with who is hot. But also, we have to find a way to keep our guys healthy. That’s why the rotation is so important, so we don’t overwork them, particularly early in the year, so we can keep the good momentum building."
• The Seahawks will be dealing with a massive QB downgrade this season after trading Russell Wilson to Denver. They’re left with QBs Drew Lock and Geno Smith.
• OC Shane Waldron returns for his 2nd season with the Seahawks.
  • The 2021 Seahawks ranked:
    • 32nd in plays
    • 9th in situation-neutral run rate
    • 27th in pass attempts
• The 2021 Seahawks ranked 17th in Pro Football Focus’ run-blocking grades and 14th in Football Outsiders’ Adjusted Line Yards.
  • They spent the 9th overall pick of this spring’s draft on Charles Cross, who’s expected to start at LT.
• John Boyle of The Seahawks’ official site writes that RB Kenneth Walker has “shown off his pass-catching ability” in training camp.

Draft Sharks Bottom Line:

Walker is coming off a 1,636-yard season at Michigan State and was the 41st overall pick of this spring’s draft. He’s a strong rushing prospect.

But he’ll need to win snaps and touches from RB Rashaad Penny this season, doesn’t project to offer much in the passing game and will be playing in what figures to be a bad, Russell Wilson-less Seahawks offense.

That leaves Walker as just a RB3 in fantasy drafts.