The Seattle Seahawks have some question marks at running back.
Kenneth Walker III departed in free agency for the Kansas City Chiefs. Zach Charbonnet is recovering from a torn ACL, which could sideline him for much of the 2026 season. And while the Seahawks have some internal options who could be primed for bigger roles – including George Holani, Kenny McIntosh and recent free agent addition Emanuel Wilson – they are largely unproven at the NFL level.
Given the current state of the Seahawks’ running back room, should they select a running back with the No. 32 overall pick in next month’s NFL Draft?
During Friday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, Mike Salk was asked if he’d be OK with that scenario.
“This question haunts me,” Salk said. “On one hand, I want to say, yeah, it is something they really do need. And if you have the opportunity to get somebody who’s going to be a home-run hitter, which they lost with Ken Walker, you’ve got to find them.
“And while this is technically a first-round pick, it’s really more of a second-rounder, both because it’s the No. 32 pick and also because this draft is considered to be so weak. Using your first-round pick this year on a running back is a lot more like using a second-rounder in any other year.
“So, the ultimate answer for this question to me would be yes. I think I would be OK with it – if it’s the right guy, and if he’s a home-run hitter kind of player.”
But would the Seahawks actually do it?
During his appearance Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob, Seahawks general manager John Schneider was asked where the team stands at running back.
Schneider said it’s “a position that you can find guys,” while bringing up an example from his time in Green Bay’s front office, back when the Packers swung a trade for former undrafted running back Ryan Grant prior to the 2007 season. Grant burst onto the scene, piling up 3,412 rushing yards over the next three seasons with Green Bay.
Since Schneider took over as Seattle’s general manager in 2010, the Seahawks have used several high draft picks on running backs. They used a late first-round pick on Rashaad Penny, along with second-round picks on Walker, Charbonnet and Christine Michael.
However, all four of those instances came during the Pete Carroll era, back when the legendary head coach ultimately had the final say over Schneider in personnel decisions. Schneider now holds that responsibility after the Seahawks moved on from Carroll in January 2024.
“I don’t think they’re going to draft a running back in the first round,” Salk said. “I think that John believes you can find a running back, and if you do everything right with your offensive line, it won’t matter as much.
“But I also think they do have a pretty big, gaping hole right now at the position, and I think they’ve got to find somebody with some speed who can be a bit of a home-run threat.”
Listen to the full segment from Mike Salk at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune into Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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