Kenneth Walker was born in Arlington, Tennessee, a small town just outside of Memphis. He ran for nearly 3,500 yards and 41 touchdowns in high school while carrying the ball just 493 times. Walker also caught 64 passes for 1,058 yards and 16 touchdowns. He received all-state honors as a senior, and all-region honors at running back and kick returner, eventually playing in the Toyota East-West All-Star game and finishing with a 95-yard kick return touchdown.
Walker was a three-star recruit with scouting grades of 75 from ESPN and 81 from 24/7 Sports. He received just five collegiate offers: Kent State, Arkansas State, Eastern Kentucky, Illinois State, and finally Wake Forest, where he eventually committed in December of 2018. As a true freshman in 2019, Walker finished with 579 yards rushing, good for No. 3 in the ACC among freshmen. After splitting snaps again in 2020 - this time with junior Christian Beal - Walker decided it was time for a change of scenery.
Entering the transfer portal and signing with the Michigan State Spartans turned out to be a great move for Walker. In 2021, he dominated, amassing 125-plus rush yards in eight of 12 games on his way to a No. 6 finish in Heisman voting. Up to a showdown with Ohio State in Week 11, multiple analysts had Walker as the Heisman favorite before the six-carry 25-yard disappointment. Walker did not walk away empty-handed, however, as he earned the 2021 Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Doak Walker Award, and finished as a First-Team All-Big Ten selection and unanimous First-Team All-American by multiple outlets.
Walker was selected in the 2nd round (2.09) of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. He entered a backfield with incumbents Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson; however, the rookie easily boasted the best prospect profile. His 97th-percentile Speed Score, 99th-percentile College Dominator Rating makes his Best Comparable Player LaDainian Tomlinson. Walker was thrust to the top of the depth chart once Carson retired and Penny suffered a season-ending injury.
He erupted after taking over the backfield, compiling over 1,000 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns. He cemented his reputation as a shifty home run hitter, finishing in the top-12 of RBs in Juke Rate (31.0-percent) and Breakaway Run Rate (7.5-percent). He finished No. 16 in fantasy points per game with three top-eight weekly finishes. He enters 2023 with more competition in the backfield after Seattle spent a 2nd-round pick on Zach Charbonnet and a 7th-rounder on Kenny McIntosh.
Even with those additions in the draft, Walker was the primary rusher in the offense. He struggled to rip off many long runs, but as a grinder that can convert in short yardage situations, he would normally come out on top. Now Mike McDonald is the new coach in town, and he's bringing in a run heavy approach to the offense. Walker is the type of ball carrier that can thrive in a more physical offense.
