With the Seahawks having chosen Zach Charbonnet in the second round, it’s clear they place a higher value than other teams on the running back position. Just last year, recall, they selected Kenneth Walker in the second round, and they used a first-round pick on Rashaad Penny in 2018.
I don’t believe the selection of Charbonnet is an indictment of Walker. Instead, I think they’re just looking to bolster the position. Walker played just fine in his first year (nearly winning the Rookie of the Year Award), but it’s tough for anyone to play all 17 games at that position.
I expect Charbonnet will log a few change-of-pace carries. He might also play some in obvious passing situations (they’ll decide in camp, I imagine, whether Charbonnet or DeeJay Dallas will be their back when the four-minute offense is on the field). And with Charbonnet being more of a thumper than Walker between the tackles, maybe (maybe) they think about using him some in short-yardage situations.
But the driver behind the selection, I believe, is making sure they’re not in a position where they have to play a stretch of games without a tailback they like. Walker has 51 games left on his rookie contract, and it’s wildly unlikely that he’ll be available for all of those weeks. Since 2020, only five backs have started more than 43 games (of a possible 50).
The Charbonnet selection surprised me in that Seattle has had some success finding running backs later. Chris Carson was a seventh-round pick, and Thomas Rawls wasn’t drafted at all. But all along Pete Carroll and John Schneider have zigged while the rest of the league has zagged in relation to the value of running backs. Back in their first season, recall, they traded for Marshawn Lynch. Originally selected in the first round by Buffalo, he was pivotal in Seattle making it to a pair of Super Bowls.
And in the last 10 years, Seattle has selected four running backs in the first two rounds. (They picked Christine Michael in the second round in 2013). Only one other team has used four picks that high on running backs in the last 10 years (the Lions). Only two others (Cincinnati, Jacksonville) have made three such picks. The league’s other 28 teams since 2013 have used only 28 first- and second-round picks on running backs.
| RUNNING BACKS CHOSEN IN FIRST TWO ROUNDS (last 10 years) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | School | Pk |
| 2018 | Saquon Barkley, NYG | Penn State | 2 |
| 2016 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dal. | Ohio State | 4 |
| 2017 | Leonard Fournette, Jac. | Louisiana State | 4 |
| 2023 | Bijan Robinson, Atl. | Texas | 8 |
| 2017 | Christian McCaffrey, Car. | Stanford | 8 |
| 2015 | Todd Gurley, St.L. | Georgia | 10 |
| 2023 | Jahmyr Gibbs, Det. | Alabama | 12 |
| 2015 | Melvin Gordon, S.D. | Wisconsin | 15 |
| 2019 | Josh Jacobs, Oak. | Alabama | 24 |
| 2021 | Najee Harris, Pit. | Alabama | 24 |
| 2021 | Travis Etienne, Jac. | Clemson | 25 |
| 2018 | Rashaad Penny, Sea. | San Diego State | 27 |
| 2018 | Sony Michel, N.E. | Georgia | 31 |
| 2020 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire, K.C. | Louisiana State | 32 |
| 2018 | Nick Chubb, Cle. | Georgia | 35 |
| 2021 | Javonte Williams, Den. | North Carolina | 35 |
| 2020 | D'Andre Swift, Det. | Georgia | 35 |
| 2022 | Breece Hall, NYJ | Iowa State | 36 |
| 2015 | T.J. Yeldon, Jac. | Alabama | 36 |
| 2013 | Giovani Bernard, Cin. | North Carolina | 37 |
| 2018 | Ronald Jones, T.B. | Southern Cal | 38 |
| 2020 | Jonathan Taylor, Ind. | Wisconsin | 41 |
| 2017 | Dalvin Cook, Min. | Florida State | 41 |
| 2022 | Kenneth Walker, Sea. | Michigan State | 41 |
| 2018 | Kerryon Johnson, Det. | Auburn | 43 |
| 2016 | Derrick Henry, Ten. | Alabama | 45 |
| 2017 | Joe Mixon, Cin. | Oklahoma | 48 |
| 2013 | LeVeon Bell, Pit. | Michigan State | 48 |
| 2020 | Cam Akers, LAR | Florida State | 52 |
| 2023 | Zach Charbonnet, Sea. | UCLA | 52 |
| 2019 | Miles Sanders, Phi. | Penn State | 53 |
| 2015 | Ameer Abdullah, Det. | Nebraska | 54 |
| 2014 | Bishop Sankey, Ten. | Washington | 54 |
| 2020 | J.K. Dobbins, Bal. | Ohio State | 55 |
| 2014 | Jeremy Hill, Cin. | Louisiana State | 55 |
| 2014 | Carlos Hyde, S.F. | Ohio State | 57 |
| 2013 | Montee Ball, Den. | Wisconsin | 58 |
| 2018 | Derrius Guice, Was. | Louisiana State | 59 |
| 2013 | Eddie Lacy, G.B. | Alabama | 61 |
| 2020 | AJ Dillon, G.B. | Boston College | 62 |
| 2013 | Christine Michael, Sea. | Texas A&M | 62 |
| 2022 | James Cook, Buf. | Georgia | 63 |
—Ian Allan