Kenneth Walker III (running back)

Last updated

Kenneth Walker III
KennethWalkerIII.jpg
Walker (#9) with Michigan State in 2021
No. 9 – Seattle Seahawks
Position: Running back
Personal information
Born: (2000-10-20) October 20, 2000 (age 23)
Arlington, Tennessee, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:211 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school: Arlington
College:
NFL draft: 2022  / Round: 2 / Pick: 41
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Rushing yards:1,955
Rushing average:4.4
Rushing touchdowns:17
Receptions:56
Receiving yards:424
Receiving touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Kenneth Walker III (born October 20, 2000) is an American football running back for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wake Forest and Michigan State. He won the Walter Camp and Doak Walker Awards in 2021.

Contents

Early years

Walker was born on October 20, 2000, in Arlington, Tennessee. [1] He attended Arlington High School and played for their football team, where he rushed for 3,485 yards with 41 touchdowns. He committed to Wake Forest University to play college football. [2]

College career

Walker played at Wake Forest in 2019 and 2020. During those two years he rushed for 1,158 yards on 217 carries with 17 touchdowns. [3] [4] After the 2020 season, Walker transferred to Michigan State University. [5] [6] He became the starter his first year at Michigan State. [7] [8] In his debut with the Spartans, he rushed for 264 yards and four touchdowns. [9] [10] His four touchdowns doubled the Michigan State 2020 season total, and were the first for a Spartan running back since the 2019 season. [11] Walker III was awarded the Doak Walker and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and finish 6th in the Heisman for the 2021 NCAA season. [12] [13] He earned Consensus All-American honors for the 2021 season. [14] Following the season, he announced that he would forgo his senior year and declared for the 2022 NFL Draft. [15]

College statistics

SeasonGamesRushingReceiving
GPGSAttYdsAvgTDRecYdsAvgTD
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
2019 130905796.243175.70
2020 771195794.91333010.00
Michigan State Spartans
2021 12122631,6366.21813896.81
Career 32194722,7945.835191367.51

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump
5 ft 9+1⁄4 in
(1.76 m)		211 lb
(96 kg)		30+3⁄8 in
(0.77 m)		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		4.38 s1.49 s2.53 s34.0 in
(0.86 m)		10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)
All values from NFL Combine [16] [17]

2022

Walker was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round with the 41st overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. [18]

Walker made his NFL debut in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers. [19] In Week 5, against the New Orleans Saints, he had a 69-yard rushing touchdown in the 32–39 loss. [20] He was named the starting running back for the Seattle Seahawks after Rashaad Penny was placed on injured reserve. [21] In Week 7, against the Los Angeles Chargers, Walker rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns in the 37–23 victory. [22] On November 3, Walker was named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Month for October. [23] In Week 9, he rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns in a 31–21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. [24] In Week 12, he had another game with two rushing touchdowns in the 40–34 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. [25] He closed out the regular season with three consecutive games with over 100 rushing yards. He finished his rookie season with 228 carries for 1,050 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns to go along with 27 receptions for 165 receiving yards. [26] He joined Curt Warner as the only players in franchise history to rush for at least 1,000 yards as a rookie. [27] On January 14, 2023, during the 2022–23 NFL playoffs, Walker rushed the ball 15 times for 63 yards and a touchdown, during a 41–23 Wild Card Round loss to the 49ers. [28] [29] He was named to the 2022 Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team. [30]

2023

In Week 3, Walker totaled 156 scrimmage yards with a pair of rushing touchdowns in a 37–27 win over the Carolina Panthers, earning National Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week. [31]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

YearTeamGamesRushingReceivingFumbles
GPGSAttYdsY/ALngTDRecYdsY/RLngTDFumLost
2022 SEA 15112281,0504.674T9271656.133000
2023 SEA 15152199054.1458292598.964T110
Career 30264471,9554.47417564247.664110

Postseason

YearTeamGamesRushingReceivingFumbles
GPGSAttYdsAvgLngTDRecYdsAvgLngTDFumLost
2022 SEA 1115634.291133.03000
Career 1115634.291133.03000

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshawn Lynch</span> American football player (born 1986)

Marshawn Terrell Lynch is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. Nicknamed "Beast Mode", he spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Seahawks. Lynch grew up in Oakland, California and played college football for the nearby California Golden Bears, earning first-team All-American honors and becoming the school's second all-time career rusher. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft and played three full seasons before joining Seattle during the 2010 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Stanton</span> American football player (born 1984)

Drew Emeric Stanton is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft, after playing college football for the Michigan State Spartans. Stanton was a journeyman quarterback who was a member of the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and for a short stint the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coming out of retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Wilson</span> American football player (born 1988)

Russell Carrington Wilson is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played his first 10 seasons for the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson has been regarded as one of the greatest dual-threat quarterbacks of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Rawls</span> American football player (born 1993)

Thomas Tyrell Rawls is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He played college football at Michigan and Central Michigan. Rawls currently holds the Seahawks' record for the most single game rushing yards by a rookie running back (209) and the most rushing yards by an undrafted rookie in his first 6 games (711). He also holds the Seahawks' record for most yards in a postseason game (161), accomplished in the 2016–17 Wild Card Round against the Detroit Lions.

Spencer Raleigh Ware III is a former American football running back. He played college football at LSU, and played in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, with whom he won Super Bowl XLVIII as a rookie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Hyde</span> American football player (born 1990)

Carlos Dawon Hyde is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Davis (running back)</span> American football player (born 1993)

Mike Davis is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football at South Carolina, and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft. Davis also played for the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Collins (American football)</span> American football player (1994–2023)

Alex Collins was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft with the 171st overall pick. He spent two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens in 2017 and 2018 before re-signing by Seattle in 2020. He played one season with the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League (USFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Gallman</span> American football player (born 1994)

Wayne Gallman Jr. is an American football running back for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Clemson and contributed to win the CFP national championship (2017) before being selected by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian McCaffrey</span> American football player (born 1996)

Christian Jackson McCaffrey, also known by the initials CMC, is an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and was selected by the Carolina Panthers eighth overall in the 2017 NFL draft. As a sophomore in 2015, McCaffrey was named AP College Football Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He holds the NCAA record for most all-purpose yards in a season, with 3,864.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenyan Drake</span> American football player (born 1994)

Kenyan Drake is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama. Drake was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cam Akers</span> American football player (born 1999)

Cam Akers is an American football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Carson</span> American football player (born 1994)

Christopher Dewayne Carson is a former American football running back. He played professionally for five seasons for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL), after playing college football at Butler Community College before transferring to Oklahoma State in 2016. A neck injury during the 2021 NFL season prematurely ended his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Breida</span> American football player (born 1995)

Matthew John Breida is an American football running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Southern and signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He has also played for the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashaad Penny</span> American football player (born 1996)

Rashaad Armein Penny is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at San Diego State, where, in 2017, he led the nation with 2,248 rushing yards and scored 23 touchdowns on 289 carries, finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting and garnering first-team All-American and All-Mountain West honors. Penny also caught 19 passes for 135 yards and two scores and scored twice on kickoff returns, averaging 30.6 yards on 17 attempts. He also scored a 70-yard touchdown on one of his two punt returns for the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deebo Samuel</span> American football player (born 1996)

Tyshun Raequan "Deebo" Samuel is an American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and was selected by the 49ers in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft. In 2021, he was selected to the Pro Bowl and received first-team All-Pro honors.

Travis Homer is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Miami (FL).

JaMycal Hasty is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Baylor.

Elijah I. Mitchell is an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyrion Davis-Price</span> American football player (born 2000)

Tyrion Jacobe Davis-Price is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU.

References

  1. ↑ Munz, Jason (August 25, 2018). "Arlington star Kenny Walker is scoring touchdowns at a breakneck pace, and more takeaways from Friday night". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  2. ↑ Johns, Les (December 2, 2018). "Memphis-area RB Kenneth Walker commits to Wake Forest". DemonDeaconDigest.com. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Kenneth Walker III 2019 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Kenneth Walker III 2020 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  5. ↑ Charboneau, Matt (January 6, 2021). "Michigan State lands running back Kenneth Walker III, transfer from Wake Forest". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  6. ↑ Dell, John (January 6, 2021). "Running back Kenneth Walker III, transferring from Wake Forest, announces his destination". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  7. ↑ Wenzel, Matt (August 9, 2021). "Kenneth Walker III could be 'home run' threat Michigan State needs at running back". mlive. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  8. ↑ Charboneau, Matt (September 4, 2021). "Kenneth Walker III runs wild as MSU tramples Northwestern in opener". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  9. ↑ Wenzel, Matt (September 11, 2021). "Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III feels no pressure for encore to monster debut". mlive. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  10. ↑ Atkins, Nate (September 4, 2021). "Kenneth Walker III shatters expectations for everyone but his Michigan State teammates: 'I've never had a game like this'". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  11. ↑ "2020 Michigan State Spartans Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Doak Walker Award Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Walter Camp Player of the Year Award Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Consensus All-America Teams (2020–2022)". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  15. ↑ VanHaaren, Tom (December 16, 2021). "Spartans RB Walker to skip bowl, enter NFL draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Kenneth Walker III Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State, RB, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  18. ↑ Boyle, John (April 29, 2022). "Seahawks Select Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III With 41st Overall Pick". Seahawks.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers – September 18th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at New Orleans Saints – October 9th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  21. ↑ Weaver, Tim (October 15, 2022). "Seahawks place Rashaad Penny on IR, elevate one from practice squad". Seahawks Wire. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Chargers – October 23rd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  23. ↑ Boyle, John (November 3, 2022). "Tariq Woolen & Kenneth Walker III Earn NFL Rookie of the Month Honors". Seahawks.com. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals – November 6th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Las Vegas Raiders at Seattle Seahawks – November 27th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Kenneth Walker 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  27. ↑ Obee, Maliik (January 9, 2023). "Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III Etches Name In Seahawks Record Books In Season Finale". www.seahawks.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  28. ↑ Patra, Kevin (January 15, 2023). "49ers defeat Seahawks, advance to NFC Divisional Round for second straight season". NFL.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  29. ↑ Simmons, Myles (January 14, 2023). "Seahawks score with Kenneth Walker touchdown, trail 49ers 10–7". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  30. ↑ "2022 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  31. ↑ Gordon, Grant (September 27, 2023). "Dolphins RB De'Von Achane, Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.