Over the years Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider has been one of the more-aggressive execs around the league during and leading up to the NFL draft. For a time, trading down in the first round was as on-brand as it got, and he's made several surprise blockbuster deals during draft season - including the ill-fated trade for star tight end Jimmy Graham.
Schneider has already made a few massive trades in March, including ones that sent away Geno Smith and DK Metcalf. Could another major offensive playmaker be on their way out? According to Ralph Vacciano at Fox Sports, it's a possibility. He has named running back Kenneth Walker III as the one player from Seattle who could get traded around the draft.
Fox Sports on Ken Walker trade-bait
"With Walker set to become a free agent next year, it might be time for Seattle to take a longer look at his backup, Zach Charbonnet, who was actually the better back last season and offered some proof he could handle the No. 1 role..."
All due respect, we aren't huge fans of the idea. Yes, Charbonnet looked good down the stretch but it's also the only time he's flashed over the last two seasons since he was drafted. From our perspective, Walker is a signficantly superior athlete with a much higher ceiling than any other back on the roster, including Charbonnet.
Walker did only average 3.7 yards per carry last season - but you have to keep in mind that he was running behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league - both in pass protection and run blocking. Walker was occasionally able to flip the field and pull off some magic, but he was rarely set up for a big running lane for his explosive gains.
Despite missing a total of 10 games due to injuries, Walker has averaged over 800 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground per year - and considering the blocking he had to work with those numbers are pretty remarkable.
The PFF grades agree with the eyeball test here - Walker earned higher grades than Charbonnet in rushing (91.2 to 78.8), receiving (72.9 to 66.8) and overall (88.4 to 77.5) for the season.
That doesn't necessarily mean the Seahawks won't trade him - they have historically been reluctant to pay their running backs second contracts. Even Marshawn Lynch at his best had to pull teeth to get his.
Still, Walker is an exceptional athlete who hasn't come close to reaching his full potential at this level. If the Seahawks can manage to upgrade their interior run blocking during the draft Walker might yet earn All-Pro honors.
At the very least the Seahawks should see how the first half of the 2025 season plays out before deciding to shop Walker. If the trade deadline comes around and they don't look any closer to competing for a Super Bowl than they have the last three seasons it might be worth exploring what they could get for Walker.
That said, we'd prefer to keep Walker indefinitely - at least until he suffers a major injury or his production falls off. This is an as-yet an untapped resource for the Seahawks that could pay off in a big way, especially if they're going to embrace the run as much as they're saying under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
