Seahawks Eager to See Ken Walker III 'Continue to Grow' After Strong Start
RENTON, Wash. - Taking the reins for an injured Rashaad Penny six weeks ago, few running backs have been more productive and dynamic than Seahawks rookie sensation Ken Walker III, who has been a catalyst for the team winning four of their past five to vault into first place in the NFC West.
Since Week 5 when he replaced Penny in the second half of a 39-32 road loss to the Saints, Walker ranks third in the NFL in rushing yards (530), fifth in yards after contact (326), and sixth in missed tackles forced (23) according to Pro Football Focus. Racking up explosive runs in bunches, his 15 rushes of 10 or more yards during that six week span rank second behind only Raiders star Josh Jacobs and he's ripped off two touchdown runs of 69 yards or longer.
But despite Walker's already immense success starring out of Seattle's backfield, after enduring his toughest game as a pro with only 17 rushing yards in a loss to Tampa Bay in Munich last weekend, coach Pete Carroll doesn't think the former Michigan State star has come close to scratching the surface of his potential just yet and he's only going to continue to improve in the final seven games of his rookie season.
“Yeah, I think he will just keep getting better," Carroll told reporters on Tuesday, referencing Walker's obvious growth as a receiver. "I thought he did a nice job of contributing to the passing game [against Tampa Bay]. He made some extra yards and caused some problems. If he could’ve stayed on his feet, he probably would’ve had another 20, 30 yards out there."
As Carroll noted, Walker still found a way to make an impact for the Seahawks last weekend despite being bottled up by a stout Buccaneers front seven through his contributions as a receiver. Only used sparingly as a pass catcher at Michigan State in a run-heavy offense, he set new season-highs with six receptions for 55 yards with most of that production coming on two fourth quarter touchdown drives that cut the deficit to five points.
Over the past month, Walker has become far more involved in Seattle's passing game, snagging nine of his 18 receptions in the past two games alone. For those who watched him exhibit his soft hands out of the backfield throughout training camp, such an uptick in production shouldn't come as a surprise.
But while Walker continues to become a greater focal point as a receiver and earn the trust of quarterback Geno Smith in that capacity, like any rookie, he has areas of his game in need of refinement that were evident in Germany.
First and foremost, Walker's greatest weakness coming out of college - pass protection - remains a major work in progress. There have been flashes of brilliance for the rookie in this regard, including stone walling blitzers on two occasions during a 27-13 win over the Giants last month.
But at the same time, Walker's technique often betrays him when trying to step up to block NFL linebackers and safeties coming on the blitz. He doesn't keep his feet chopping and plays the role of a catcher with his hands rather than being aggressive getting his hands into the defender's frame. He also has missed several assignments, including failing to see linebacker Devin White looping back inside on an A-gap blitz on Sunday that resulted in a sack on Smith.
For Walker to become a true every down back, giving up a pressure on nearly 20 percent of his pass protection snaps isn't going to cut it. Per PFF, he's allowed six pressures on 33 pass blocking reps, or 18 percent of the time.
Even as a runner, Walker has room for improvement. Previously drawing comparisons to former Steelers star LeVeon Bell, who interestingly played his collegiate ball at Michigan State, his patience setting up blocks and vision have been key ingredients to his success at every level. On several occasions this year, he has been able to bide time in the backfield before accelerating through a crease to turn a minimal gain into a quality run.
But when asked about finding a balancing act between being patient and getting downhill when he needs to, Carroll admitted Walker is still finding his footing within the Seahawks scheme and developing chemistry with his teammates, particularly the offensive linemen blocking for him.
"Certainly, he’s just going to continue to grow with the tempo of the line of scrimmage. It’s not like he hasn't ran the football enough in his lifetime. He knows how to run the football." Carroll explained. "He’s got great instincts, but he’s got to grow with our guys, and our scheme, and make sure that he can take advantage of it all the time."
From Carroll's perspective, Walker has already proven himself to be a complete runner capable of doing damage between the tackles as well as on the perimeter. He can take any carry the distance with sub-4.40 speed, he's surprisingly powerful with elite contact balance and bounces off tackles, and has the innate ability to turn nothing into something with top-tier quickness and agility to make defenders miss.
At this point, Carroll simply wants to see Walker continue to master his craft and work towards being a bit more decisive as he grows with Waldron's scheme and those blocking for him. As illustrated over the past six weeks, all of the physical tools and skills are in place for him to become a superstar in a perfect offense for his strengths and make proper strides in pass protection over time.
As he becomes more comfortable, Carroll envisions already great results on the field being even better with him thriving as a workhorse in Seattle's backfield. Lauding him for his instincts and athletic traits, he doesn't expect the talented runner will have any issues figuring things out as he gains experience running against NFL defenses.
"He’s a great frontside runner. He bounced the football, and gets out, and you see us put him on the perimeter, but he’s also a great cutback runner. He’s devastating when he comes back against the grain and now, he has it spaced it all out. We are just going to keep giving it to him, and try to keep him well, and healthy, and growing, and complement him with [Travis] Homer and DeeJay [Dallas], and really make this running game come to life.”
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