Breece Hall, New York Jets
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(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks have a major question mark at running back with the departure of Kenneth Walker III, and Zach Charbonnet will miss part of the 2026 NFL season as he recovers from a torn ACL injury sustained in January during the team’s Super Bowl run.
With the NFL Draft approaching on April 23, the Seahawks could look to draft a running back, as they have been successful in identifying talent at that position with Walker and Charbonnet. However, could Seattle decide to go the trade route?
FOX Sports NFL columnist and reporter Ralph Vacchiano believes the Seahawks need to be on the phone with the New York Jets about Breece Hall.In his April 8 article, Vacchiano pitches a trade that would see Seattle send a 2026 third-round pick (96th) and a 2027 fifth-round pick for Hall.
“The Jets just placed the franchise tag on Halland they want to sign him long term, though it’s not clear if Hall actually wants to stay in New York,” Vacchiano wrote. “The Seahawks, meanwhile, need a replacement for Kenneth Walker, whom they lost in free agency.
“The cost would be at least a third-round pick, which was reportedly what the Jets were asking for at the deadline last year. A running back like Hall is an unnecessary luxury for a team like the Jets headed for the bottom of the standings, but he could instantly make the Seahawks an even bigger threat to repeat as Super Bowl champs.”
Seahawks Warned About Trading Picks From Next Year’s Draft
Nonetheless, trading draft picks, especiallyfrom next year, is somethingthat Seattle Sports’ Mike Salk doesn’t want the Seahawks to do. In Salk’s context, it’s about trading up in the draft, so it would be interesting to see if he would be open to trading picks from next year for a proven player.
“The NFL draft is less than three weeks away, and one of the things I keep hearing is people excited about the idea of the Seattle Seahawks trading up from pick No. 32 in the first round,”Salk wrote in his article thatwas published on April 4.
“I’m not necessarily opposedthe idea of trading up, but I want to throw two big caveats in that. One, I’m not giving up any of the picks from next year, certainly not next year’s first round. Next year is supposed to be an incredible draft.
“This is supposed to be a mediocre draft where there are starters, not stars. If you got the opportunity to get stars next year, I want to take as many of those as possible, so please do not trade away certainly your first-round pick for next year.”
Seattle Given Running Back to Pursue in the Draft
As for finding a running back in the draft, ESPN’s Matt Bowen believes that formerArkansas Razorbacks running back Mike Washington Jr. is the perfect team fit.
“Washington could go later on Day 2, but he has the tape and speed to move up into the final slot of the second round. Seattle has a need at the position, as Kenneth Walker III signed with the Chiefs and Zach Charbonnet is still recovering from a torn ACL,”Bowen wrote in his article published on March 31.
“Under new coordinator Brian Fleury — who coached with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco — we should expect a run game that leans on motion and movement in both zone and gap concepts. Washington has the lateral agility to fit in that scheme, and he can dart through daylight with his 4.33 speed. His frame can handle NFL volume, plus he can produce on swings and screens as a pass catcher. Washington averaged 8.1 yards per reception in 2025.”