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RB Kenneth Walker III - SEA (3 Viewers)

SoBeDad said:
Walker and Spiller will be in play for Miami at 2.18.
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Mos definitely. And with a Shanahan coaching tree guy calling the shots & no alpha RB on the team (or even a beta, for that matter), that would probably be the best possible landing spot & would make whichever very intriguing from a dynasty standpoint. 

 
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein ranks Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker as the top running back in the 2022 NFL Draft class.

The Doak Walker Award winner, Walker (5'10/210) rushed for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns while providing numerous highlight reel runs for the Spartans. He's a compact back with exceptional contact balance and change of direction agility. He wasn't used much as a weapon so there are questions about how he will develop in the passing game, but Walker is strong enough to lower his shoulder and pound out yards after contact while still possessing the ability to rip off chunk plays. He has the talent to be a multi-year starting running back at the NFL level. 

SOURCE: NFL.com

Feb 23, 2022, 4:48 PM ET
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Walker ending up in Miami would be a great thing.  Could make for a tough choice at 1.1 though if Walker ends up in Miami and Hall (or even Spiller) ends up in Buffalo.  If those are the landing spots I think i would roll the dice on Walker.

 
Walker would be a slam dunk top pick for me in Miami. But that's also partly because I'm an MSU and dolphins fan (and I think he's got a great skillset for that system).

All that said, Shannahan disciple + a GM who has never taken a RB before round 7... Doesn't seem like a recipe for an early RB pick to me. Especially considering the state of the OL and WRs. 

 
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Was on YouTube a bit today checking out rookie RBs. One negative I noted from a couple was questioning his pass pro.

That quality has been make or break for many a young RB.

I haven’t seen enough of him to know how accurate this is, but the scouting reports seem to agree, grading him “poor”.

Are there any examples of RBs learning pass protection once they get to the NFL?   :unsure:

Might be the best pure rusher, they also say. Not a deal killer, just not ideal. Worth noting in here. 

 
jtd13 said:
All that said, Shannahan disciple + a GM who has never taken a RB before round 7... Doesn't seem like a recipe for an early RB pick to me. Especially considering the state of the OL and WRs. 
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MIA has a bunch of picks though, right? Coach might want a rookie back. :shrug:  

 
Hot Sauce Guy said:
Was on YouTube a bit today checking out rookie RBs. One negative I noted from a couple was questioning his pass pro.

That quality has been make or break for many a young RB.

I haven’t seen enough of him to know how accurate this is, but the scouting reports seem to agree, grading him “poor”.

Are there any examples of RBs learning pass protection once they get to the NFL?   :unsure:

Might be the best pure rusher, they also say. Not a deal killer, just not ideal. Worth noting in here. 
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Leonard Fournette was considered quite weak at pass pro coming out of LSU, and seems to have become pretty good at it.

 
Hot Sauce Guy said:
MIA has a bunch of picks though, right? Coach might want a rookie back. :shrug:  
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Not really this year. They have SFs 1st and a compensatory 3rd from SF, but they also traded their own 1st and 3rd in the moves up for Waddle and Eichenberg last year. They have 1 extra 4th from the Steelers. 2023 is a different story. They have all their current picks, plus an extra 1 and 6. 

I'm fairly sure MIA will draft a RB, I'd just be surprised if it's very early. WR and OL are huge needs that usually require higher draft capital to get quality players compared to RB. and Grier's draft history suggests he places a lot of value on positional value (mostly drafts QB, OT, DE, WR, CB early, even if he drafts the wrong ones most of the time).

 
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Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker posts the second-fastest 40-yard dash time amongst running backs.

The 2022 Doak Walker Award winner came into this combine as the best available running back on the board and he's doing his best to keep it that way. Walker (5'10"/210) ran an official 4.38 40-yard dash, second behind SDSU's Pierre Strong and Rutgers' Isaih Pacheco (4.37) and tied with North Carolina's Ty Chandler and Florida International's D'vonte Price. Walker was virtually unknown until this year when he transferred to Michigan State from Wake Forest and at one point was in the Heisman Trophy race. The impressive 40-yard number along with a solid 34" vertical jump should keep in the RB1 conversation. No one believes there is a hands-down franchise impacting running backing this class, so there could be a shift from now till the end of April. 

SOURCE: NFL Draft

Mar 4, 2022, 10:46 PM ET
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Walker and Hall feel very much like the top-2 RBs. I had them there already personally, so I feel even more confident about that. 

 
Ilov80s said:
Yeah it was a very nice day for him and a pretty weak day for most others. Just comes down to draft capital now.
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Jerome Ford and Rachaad White and their 210+, sub 4.5s want a word with you. 

But Allgeier and Williams are definitely disappointing if one went in thinking this was class to be a heralded class rather than one that gets beaten down.

 
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Next Gen Stats @NextGenStats

At 5-foot-9-1/4 & 211 lbs, @MSU_Football's Kenneth Walker III ran an official 4.38-second 40-yard dash, helping him earn an "elite" 90 athleticism score by the NGS Draft model.

Walker III currently ranks 2nd among the 2022 RB class with a 79 overall score.

#NextGenScores
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https://twitter.com/nextgenstats/status/1500193758629056513?s=21

Next Gen Stats @NextGenStats

Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III enters the draft with a comparable profile to Doug Martin when it comes to size, athleticism, and production:

🔹 Walker: 4.46u @ 5'9 1/4" (78 production)
🔹 Martin: 4.55o @ 5'9 1/4" (72 production)

#NextGenScores
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https://twitter.com/nextgenstats/status/1499934620669906944?s=21

 
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Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker could be in the first-round conversation depending on the way things play out in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Walker (5'10/210) is currently largely projected to land early in the second round by most analysts, though parts of the draft can be unpredictable each year. Would it be surprising to see Walker and/or Iowa State running back Breece Hall land in the first round, though? Kevin Cole of Pro Football Focus thinks it could be a possibility: "both are now in the early second-round conversation and could even make their way into the first round," he wrote. It will be interesting to see how things play out come April.

SOURCE: PFF

Mar 7, 2022, 8:42 PM ET
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The Athletic's Dane Brugler mocked former Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker to the Miami Dolphins with the 50th overall pick.

Running backs going outside of the first round has become more commonplace in today's NFL. In Brugler's most recent mock, it isn't until the mid-second round that Walker (5'10/210) comes off the board to the RB needy Dolphins. Brugler mocks the RB2 of the draft, Iowa State's Breece Hall at 55th overall to the Dolphins, making him and Walker the only two RBs to be drafted with the first 64 picks. Both backs had strong combines and solidified themselves as the premiere backs of the class. Walker would be the de facto RB1 in Miami if this pick were to unfold.

RELATED: 

Breece Hall

SOURCE: The Athletic

Mar 9, 2022, 5:39 PM ET
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Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker was the first name on the list of the most underrated prospects by PFF's Sam Monson. 

Walker (5'10"/210) was put next to Breece Hall, who has been the No. 1 RB so far. Walker is coming off a monster 2021 season, and then tested very well at the Combine, running a 4.38 40. When added to his 1,636 yards and 18 scores, his 5.8 yards per carry, his 89 broken tackles and 4.3 yards after contact, and there's no reason Walker shouldn't be in the same class as Hall. Also on the list are WRs Skyy Moore and Calvin Austin III, DT Devonte Wyatt, EDGEs George Karlaftis and Nik Bonitto, CB Roger McCreary, OT Max Mitchell and QB Cole Kelley.

SOURCE: Sam Monson on PFF

Mar 31, 2022, 1:51 PM ET
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Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker drew a pre-draft comparison to former Carolina Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams.

Walker (5'10/210) was a difference-maker for the Spartans, making his way into the Heisman Trophy conversation and staying there during the 2021 season. Now, he's currently projected to be a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. According to Michael Hull of PFF, Walker has shown shades of DeAngelo Williams: "Walker exploded onto the scene in East Lansing in 2021, rushing for over 1,600 yards and 18 touchdowns. He’s incredibly well-rounded as a runner, casually beating defenders in a multitude of ways. He can bulldoze people — he broke 97 tackles last season, including 20 against Miami — or he can run past them with his lightning-fast 4.38 speed. He was a big play waiting to happen for Michigan State, accumulating 53.8% of his rushing yards through breakaway runs (plays that went for more than 15 yards). The Wake Forest transfer isn’t much of a pass-blocker, posting just a 41.3 pass-blocking grade for the Spartans. He wasn’t asked to do much in the passing game either, hauling in just 13 receptions on 16 targets. Williams served as the lightning to Jonathan Stewart’s thunder throughout his career in Carolina, posting a career-high 1,066 yards on the ground in 2008. His breakout campaign also featured 57 forced missed tackles, leading the league in that category. Williams was slightly slower than Walker (4.45-second 40-yard dash), but he was a more effective pass-blocker, as he never posted a pass-blocking grade lower than 49.7 (2008). Neither back did much in the pass game, as the former Steeler and Panther hauled in over 30 receptions just twice in his 11-year career."

Apr 3, 2022, 4:20 PM ET
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The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker is scheduled to visit the Commanders on Friday.

Washington doesn't have the deepest of running back groups, with JD McKissic and Jaret Patterson serving as backups to Antonio Gibson. If Walker (5'10/210) hears his name called in the first round, it won't be by the Commanders, who hold the 11th overall pick, but he could be on the board for them on Day 2. Walker burst onto the scene in 2021 rushing for 263-1636-18 after transferring from Wake Forest at the end of the 2020 season. Walker is competing with Iowa State's Breece Hall to be the first RB drafted later this month.

SOURCE: Ian Rapoport on Twitter

Apr 6, 2022, 4:18 PM ET
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Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker scored a 9.26 RAS despite his small size, mostly due to an elite speed grade.

Walker (5'9"/211) was the most productive RB in the CFB last year, and he's backing that up with great measurables too, giving him a great chance to be the first runner taken in the upcoming draft. Walker ran a 4.38 40, and had great 10 and 20-yard splits as well, which show not only great top-end speed but also fantastic acceleration out the block, which is probably the more important number for a running back. While he is on the smaller size height-wise, his weight is solidly average. In fact, his numbers are quite similar to Colts' star RB Jonathan Taylor, who was 5'10"/226 and ran a 4.39.

SOURCE: Kent Lee Platte on Twitter

Apr 13, 2022, 11:46 AM ET
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According to Pro Football Focus, Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker had the most missed tackles in the country last year.

Walker (5'10/210) came onto the scene this year after transferring from Wake Forest and thrust himself to the top of the running back class going into the draft. He has a great sense of watching a play develop, and uses that cut through gaps and burst through the secondary. His size and speed make him hard to take down and that's how his 89 forced missed tackles were the most in the country. There's a chance of him getting drafted on Day 1, at worse early on Day 2, but he shows a lot of promise for wherever he goes.

SOURCE: PFF

Apr 16, 2022, 2:16 PM ET
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I predict he goes to the Chiefs with one of their two late first rounders. And quickly ascends to dominate fantasy football.

 
Why Breece Hall Could be the Next Jonathan Taylor

Excerpt:

Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State

BackCAST Score: +54.4%
Type of Back: Ground-and-pound
Similar Historical Prospects: Jamaal Charles, Laurence Maroney

Kenneth Walker III is the consensus pick as the top running back in this draft, but BackCAST puts him behind Hall and two likely late-round picks (White and Allgeier). Walker does not have a bad projection per se, but he has a weaker projection than most top running backs in past drafts.

Walker has a good size-speed combination—he ran a 4.38s 40-yard dash at 211 pounds. However, Walker did not start dominating backfields until he transferred from Wake Forest to Michigan State as a junior. To be fair, his sophomore year was during a COVID-shortened season. However, it is also fair to question why the freshman Walker was stuck behind a running back (Cade Carney) who was averaging under 4.0 yards per carry for the Demon Deacons in 2019.

Walker also adds very little to the receiving game. Walker caught only 19 passes in three years of college football, averaging only 4.3 receiving yards per game. There have been successful running backs with less than that, but most of them played during a different era where running backs caught few passes. There have been only a few running backs drafted in the last decade who averaged less than five receiving yards per game in college, and only one (Melvin Gordon) with sustained success.

Walker is certainly not a bad prospect, but BackCAST suggests that he may not provide great value as the top-rated running back in the draft.
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ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay believes Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker is the "best runner" of the 2022 NFL Draft class.

McShay went on to add that he believes there is less than a five-percent chance Walker (5'9/211) will be drafted in the first round. McShay said that most of the people he has talked to around the league have Iowa State's Breece Hall as the best back in the draft. McShay highlighted Walker's speed at the Combine, and said that on tape, Walker "[looks like] he's playing at a different speed." Both Walker and Hall are locks to be picked on Day 2 of the draft. It would be shocked to see either slip out of the second round.

SOURCE: 247Sports.com

Apr 22, 2022, 3:47 PM ET
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According to PFF’s Ben Linsey, he has Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker on his “my guy” list.

Linsey acknowledges that the Doak Walker Award winner isn’t a hidden gem, but he isn’t garnering the hype that he should. Coming into  this draft, Walker is best pure runner among all of the running back prospects. Maybe the league is wizening up, but if Najee Harris, Travis Etienne, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Josh Jacobs can gain first-round interest, then Walker should, too. He’s great in the open and takes contact with ease thanks to 89 missed tackles and 1,168 rushing yards after contact.  While he wasn't used in a receiving role, that shouldn't stop him from becoming a three down back at the next level.

SOURCE: PFF

Apr 23, 2022, 12:28 PM ET
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Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker had 71.5% of his yards after contact in 2021.

That's a crazy number, and it's the most by a Big 10 RB since 2017. Considering extremely good RBs have come out of the Big 10 since then like 2021 NFL rushing leader Jonathan Taylor, that's no easy feat. 71.5% of his yards coming after contact means it wasn't just an offensive line clearing way for him like many college running backs, and it means he does not go down easy. There's a lot of debate about who RB1 is in this draft, and Walker is making every case for it to be him. 

SOURCE: PFF Draft on Twitter

Apr 23, 2022, 5:36 PM ET
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Seahawks selected RB Kenneth Walker with the No. 41 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.  

Maybe head coach Pete Carroll had FOMO after watching the Jets draft Breece Hall five picks earlier. Walker (5'9/211) started his career at Wake Forest, totaling 209 attempts for 1,158 yards and 17 touchdowns in two seasons. He transferred to Michigan State in 2021 and more than doubled his career production with 263 attempts for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns, enough to earn him the Doak Walker award for the nation's top running back. Walker projects to hit the ground running as an NFL starter, but his receiving ability is less pro-ready. Walker totaled just 19 total receptions in his three-year career and averaged a very poor 0.45 yards per route run. With 4.38 speed, he projects as an immediate RB2 level contributor. However, he profiles as a smaller Nick Chubb-type unless he can develop quickly as a receiver.
 

RELATED: 

Chris Carson

, Rashaad Penny

Apr 29, 2022, 7:51 PM ET
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I have Walker over Hall in dynasties.  I think Walker thrives in Seattle.   Who knows with Hall and the Jets.

 
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