10 draft-able running backs if the Seahawks don't re-sign Kenneth Walker III

Are the Seahawks really going to move on from their starting running back?

On Tuesday, I wrote out a contract estimate for Jaxon Smith-Njigba and broke down how I arrived at that number, which I only did because of a report that the Seahawks will prioritize an extension for JSN this summer. I wasn’t planning to do that article any time soon, but it does stand to reason that John Schneider wants to get this done now because it’s rare that a player’s value is so obviously rising.

And if I was wrong about how soon Seattle would sign Smith-Njigba, then it’s possible that I was also wrong about Kenneth Walker III getting the franchise tag.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter says that the Seahawks will not use any tag on Walker and wouldn’t even mention whether that meant Seattle was trying to get him signed to a long-term deal, implying that they’re not:

The Seahawks have multiple free agents that they want to retain and sign, and the team would also try to extend the contract of wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Starting Tuesday, NFL teams can begin applying franchise or transition tags through March 3. However, there are enough Super Bowl tax costs for the Seahawks that now make using a franchise tag this offseason unlikely, sources told ESPN.

Parting with Walker in the offseason, if that’s what happens, does fit into the Seahawks policy to be frugal.

As odd as it would feel to part with a Super Bowl MVP coming off of the best stretch of his career to date, Walker is entering a contractual stage where his compensation will go up by a factor of 6:

• Walker’s 2025 cap hit: $2.6 million

• Franchise tag: $14.5 million

Even if Seattle were able to come to a three-year agreement with Walker, the presumed compensation would have to be around $42 million ($14m/year) because that’s what Jonathan Taylor got from the Colts three years ago. All arguments that “Taylor is better” would be shot down by the fact that his contract was signed in 2023 AND he was injured. Taylor also wasn’t coming off of a super-charged playoff performance.

As you know, I’m a fan of the TV show “Survivor” and there’s a popular term from that world: “Island hot”. People are just hotter when they’re on an island or on the beach.

Kenneth Walker is so island hot right now.

With that being said, a $14 million annual tab for Walker compared to a ~$1.5 million price tag for a rookie would mean that the Seahawks have a net loss of $12.5 million per year in order to pay their running back. A $12 million player on the Seahawks is Julian Love or DeMarcus Lawrence.

Can the Seahawks justify allocating a Love-sized chunk of their cap to having Walker instead of a running back who they draft and plug into the offense?

Well, maybe!

It’s just a report by Schefter. In fact, it’s not even a report. It’s a half of a report. It’s a rumor that Seattle won’t tag Walker. They might extend Walker. I’m not saying that they won’t extend Walker. Just two years ago the Seahawks didn’t tag Leonard Williams, then he made it to free agency, then Seattle re-signed him.

But if they don’t tag Walker, then the next logical step would be scouring free agency for a cheap veteran starter and drafting somebody in the first three rounds.

Who are some running backs on the table in the draft?

This YouTuber had a top-10 broken down like this:

We can probably safely rule out Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, a running back so far out front from the rest of the class that he’s sure to be off the board well ahead of Seattle’s first pick at 32. If literally anything happened that made Jeremiyah Love a Seahawk—that “thing” would have to be very bad news.

But after that it seems like the Seahawks could pick any running back who they wanted. There’s always a chance that this class has another Jahmyr Gibbs in it (a “day 2” back who went 12th overall and then proved to be elite for the Lions), but for now I think we can imagine just about any of these backs getting to Seattle.

It’s just a matter of how early Schneider wants to pull the trigger.

Jonah Coleman, Washington

Many of you would have to be familiar with Coleman, a Huskies running back who transferred to UW from Arizona in 2024 and has rushed for 1,811 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 5.2 yards per carry in the past two seasons.

What places Coleman at RB2 for many people in this class is his receiving prowess, as he has also caught 54 passes for 531 yards with Washington.

Coleman may not win people over at the combine, but his vision, contact balance, and ball security could be the closest thing to what Seattle needs to replace Walker:

Here's the deal with Coleman: he is not going to make anyone forget about the elite backs in this class with his athleticism, but he offers something many of them cannot match. His floor is remarkably high because his game does not rely on traits that fade or disappear at the next level. The contact balance, the vision, the ball security, the willingness to catch passes and run with purpose on every carry are all translatable skills. An offense that wants a reliable, physical presence who can handle 15 to 20 touches per game and control tempo will find a back they can trust for years. The ceiling might not scream lead back, but the dependability screams long NFL career.

The question isn’t if Coleman could replace Kenneth Walker, it’s if the Seahawks would be willing to use their first pick on a running back.

This is not really fair to do to anybody, but every time I think of a Super Bowl team drafting a running back my mind goes to the Chiefs and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. And Edwards-Helaire was also a really good prospect, which I think most people forget. As much as it feels like it couldn’t fail for a great team to draft a great running back prospect, it often does.

The two times the Patriots drafted a first round running back during the dynasty—Laurence Maroney and Sony Michel—they were busts. But James White and Rhamondre Stevenson were fourth rounders.

The Eagles drafted Miles Sanders in the second round and he underwhelmed behind the Eagles offensive line. That’s hard to do.

So for me when we’re talking about the Seahawks potentially taking the second back off the board after Love, I do still hesitate to do it at 32. I might rather see the Seahawks trade all the way up for Love than “settle” for RB2.

That being said if Jonah Coleman went to Seattle, it might be the perfect match.

Jadarian Price, Notre Dame

And now begins this weird run of the top running backs going to the same school as one of the other top running backs.

Price rushed for 674 yards and 6.0 yards per carry behind Love. He is considered “explosive” and could be a home run hitter in the NFL in addition to being one of the top returner prospects. If Seattle didn’t keep Rashid Shaheed, Price could be the new kickoff returner and might be available at the end of round 2.

He also tore his Achilles in 2022.

Emmett Johnson, Nebraska

In the Coleman mold, Johnson may be more impressive on the field than in underwear.

Johnson had 1,451 yards, the fourth-most rushing yards in the country, and 46 catches.

Kaytron Allen, Penn State

Rushed for over 4,000 yards (school record) and 39 touchdowns in four years at Penn State. Cited as a “downhill” back for early downs, which is perhaps what Seattle needs, and could be available in the third round.

Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest

Two years after Walker transferred to Michigan State, Claiborne’s career started at Wake Forest running in the same slow-mesh offense.

A potential day three pick (of which Seattle has few picks, so they’d have to make a trade), Claiborne has the explosiveness that many of these other prospects lack, can’t necessarily catch a lot of passes, and won’t break many tackles. But he could return kicks and has the potential to be a late steal.

Nicholas Singleton, Penn State

Penn State has produced the likes of Saquon Barkley and Curt Warner and Larry Johnson and Franco Harris. Singleton was supposed to be the next—the top RB recruit of the 2022 class—but he didn’t even end up rushing for as many yards as teammate Allen.

There will be hope for Singleton to put it all together at the NFL level and that makes his draft projection difficult. Is there just one team that believes the best is yet to come? He didn’t even have 600 yards last season but a good combine and pro day could put him into round 2.

Mike Washington, Arkansas

Broke out for 1,070 yards and 6.4 yards per carry in 2025, his third school in the last three years (Buffalo, New Mexico State) and his fifth college season overall. It just becomes a little bit hard to evaluate these players now when they move around so often and play for so long.

Roman Hemby, Indiana

Kaelon Black, Indiana

Both of these national championship winners rushed for over 1,000 yards last season. Hembry transferred after four seasons at Maryland and Black followed coach Cignetti from James Madison in 2024.

I could tell you that they’re ranked between 160-190 on consensus big boards, but that’s not very important. You look at these boards in February and then by April we could see Black go 85th and Hemby go 220th. Or Hemby go 70th and Black go undrafted.

Do either of them look like second round picks? Not yet. But if Seattle goes for a late investment at running back, we do know that John Schneider likes players who have played at a high level in college.

Seth McGowan, Kentucky

After graduating high school in 2020 and going to Oklahoma, McGowan was dismissed two years later after pleading guilty to a robbery charge in which he stole marijuana and other things from an apartment. Then he basically doesn’t play football for two years, goes to a community college, then New Mexico State, then Kentucky.

From where he was as a teenager to being invited to the Senior Bowl last month, it’s been a good redemption arc for McGowan.

I don’t think many are seeing “future starter” with his lack of high-end speed and limited skills of evasiveness, but maybe in the right system he could have an important role.

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