Oct 20, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) runs the ball against the Atlanta Falcons in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Seahawks' Kenneth Walker III snubbed from top-10 NFL RBs list

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Connor Benintendi | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 8:32 PM ET

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III is coming off his worst season both in games played and total production. After struggling the last two seasons to stay healthy and consistently perform well behind a shaky offensive line, Walker is beginning to become an afterthought among rushers leaguewide.

While Walker is an undeniable talent, it's hard to only blame the offensive line for his struggles. Walker has tried too regularly to exclusively be a home run hitter when he needs to take what's in front of him. Regardless, the league is taking notice, and Walker was left out of a top-10 running back ranking by ESPN that polled NFL executives, coaches and scouts.

Including honorable mentions, Walker didn't even make the top 15 among his peers and was left in the "also receiving votes" category.

Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia Eagles), Derrick Henry (Baltimore Ravens), Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions), Bijan Robinson (Atlanta Falcons), Christian McCaffrey (San Francisco 49ers), Josh Jacobs (Green Bay Packers), Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis Colts), James Cook (Buffalo Bills), Joe Mixon (Houston Texans) and Alvin Kamara (New Orleans Saints) made up the top 10, in that order.

It would be hard to argue any of those players are out of the top 10, as they essentially summarize the elite tier of running backs in the league currently. But the honorable mention category has a few older or unproven players that surprisingly landed ahead of Walker.

Bucky Irving (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Aaron Jones Sr. (Minnesota Vikings), De'Von Achane (Miami Dolphins), Breece Hall (New York Jets) and James Conner (Arizona Cardinals) all made it in instead of Walker.

Walker has undoubtedly disappointed in recent seasons, making it hard to argue him onto the list, but his ceiling remains extremely high. If he's able to stay healthy in 2025 and improve his ability to follow the blocks in front of him, he could prove a lot of doubters wrong.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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