'Didn't Make Sense’: Mina Kimes Critiques Seahawks’ Zach Charbonnet Pick
In an era where the value of running backs in a modern offense remains a contentious topic of debate in NFL circles, the Seattle Seahawks continue to zig while much of the league zags investing premium resources into the position.
Dating back to 2017, Seattle has used seven picks on running backs, including drawing ire from many draft experts for picking San Diego State standout Rashaad Penny in the first round in 2018. With a neck injury forcing former starter Chris Carson to retire, the team kept prioritizing the position early by snagging Michigan State star Ken Walker III in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
While the Penny pick unfortunately didn't pan out as hoped due to injury issues, Walker burst onto the scene as one of the NFL's best young running backs last season. Taking the reins as the starter in Week 6, he became only the second back in Seahawks franchise history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards as a rookie and scored nine rushing touchdowns, finishing second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Jets receiver Garrett Wilson.
Given Walker's immense success out of the gate, while picking a running back later in the draft seemed likely after Penny and Travis Homer departed in free agency, Seattle wasn't expected to invest another high pick at the position. But with only two backs on the roster going into the draft, general manager John Schneider zigged again, using the 52nd overall pick in the second round on UCLA's Zach Charbonnet.
Did the Seahawks make the right call choosing Charbonnet when they did? While she ranked him as a top-three back in this year's class and doesn't have anything against the player, ESPN NFL Live analyst Mina Kimes wasn't a fan of the selection for several reasons.
"There's kind of two sides of this, right?" Kimes said on a recent episode of Locked On Seahawks. "How do you feel about the player? And how do you feel about the value and the need? I really love the player... The value and the need, I thought it didn't make a ton of sense to me, especially given some of the other holes on the roster, some of the other players that were available there. It's not what I would have done or wished for the team in terms of maximizing the draft picks they had."
Entering the draft with four picks in the first two rounds, including a top-five selection acquired from Denver as part of the Russell Wilson trade, most experts expected Seattle to attack the trenches and address deficiencies along the offensive and defensive lines early with its abundance of draft capital.
On offense, even after signing veteran free agent Evan Brown to a one-year deal, the Seahawks remained in need of a long-term option at center following the abrupt retirement of Austin Blythe. Following the release of Gabe Jackson in March, the team also had a notable hole at right guard with only Phil Haynes, who has started just three games in four NFL seasons, on the roster.
Defensively, Seattle did bust out the checkbook signing defensive tackle Dre'Mont Jones to a three-year deal worth north of $50 million and also brought back former starter Jarran Reed in free agency. Still, after cutting Al Woods, Quinton Jefferson, and Shelby Harris to create cap space earlier in the offseason and not re-signing Poona Ford, the team had significant question marks in the interior of the defensive line, particularly at nose tackle.
But after learning lessons the hard way, Schneider reiterated several times before the draft that the Seahawks weren't going to force the issue reaching to select a player at a perceived area of need. Backing up his words, the team selected the best player available with both of their first-round picks, drafting Illinois All-American cornerback Devon Witherspoon and Ohio State wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba to further bolster their secondary and receiving corps.
This trend continued in the second round with Schneider first picking Auburn edge rusher Derick Hall with the 37th selection, a player who the organization had a first-round grade on, adding him to a group already featuring Uchenna Nwosu, Darrell Taylor, and Boye Mafe. Surprised to see Charbonnet still on the board later in the round, Seattle couldn't pass up on the opportunity to select the bruising, versatile all-around back to pair with Walker.
From Kimes' perspective, selecting Charbonnet that early with Walker already on the roster and a gaping hole in the middle of the Seahawks defensive line minus Woods, Harris, and Ford was a bit too rich.
At the same time, however, Kimes believes Charbonnet can have a substantial impact rotating with Walker in the backfield thanks to a contrasting skill set. Along with giving Seattle a talented runner between the tackles who can create yards after contact in bunches and push the pile in short-yardage situations, she envisions his underappreciated receiving ability and pass protection potential making him a prime candidate to deploy as a third down back.
"I do really like the player," Kimes said. "I thought he was so balanced. A guy who's kind of just good at everything, frankly, very efficient, breaks tackles, runs with good vision, smart back, I think there's a path to be a decent pass protector in the NFL, and then a really underrated pass catcher too. He has really nice hands and in college, he was a really reliable check down option. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays the same role for Seattle."
Thinking big picture, Kimes believes the Seahawks could have gone a different direction to maximize the value of both of their second-round picks. With fourth-round pick Cameron Young currently seeing first-team reps at nose tackle and Bryan Mone likely to miss the start of the 2023 season recovering from a torn ACL, the defensive interior continues to stand out as a major concern that could have potentially been addressed with the pick used on Charbonnet.
But considering the attrition and high injury rates at running back, Kimes understands why Schneider and Seattle's scouting department opted to be aggressive landing another starter-caliber talent in Charbonnet. While she doesn't necessarily agree with the decision making behind the selection from an analytical standpoint, his upside as a runner and receiver added to an already potent offensive attack could still pay dividends, especially if Walker goes down as he did for a few games last year.
"In terms of giving the Seahawks depth, we'll see how he's deployed. I'm very curious to see actually how he gets mixed into the offense early on. But to me, he has a very, very high floor in the NFL. And to that end, I could see him being really useful, especially if God forbid, Ken Walker gets injured again, I think he can definitely step in and produce at a pretty high level."
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Seahawks? Click Here to subscribe to AllSeahawks.com's Newsletter.
Follow All Seahawks.com on Twitter and Facebook
Make sure to subscribe to our daily podcast @lockedonseahawks today! Click here To Listen.
Want even more Seattle Seahawks news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
