.png) Walker in 2026 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 9 – Seattle Seahawks | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (2000-10-20)October 20, 2000 (age 25) Arlington, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 211 lb (96 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Arlington | ||||||||||||||
| College |
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| NFL draft | 2022: 2nd round, 41st overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||||||
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Kenneth Walker III (born October 20, 2000) is an American professionalfootballrunning back for theSeattle Seahawks of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theWake Forest Demon Deacons andMichigan State Spartans, winning theWalter Camp andDoak Walker Awards in 2021. Walker was selected by the Seahawks in the second round of the2022 NFL draft. In the 2025 season, he was namedMVP ofSuper Bowl LX.
Walker was born on October 20, 2000, inArlington, Tennessee.[1] He attendedArlington High School and played for their football team, where he rushed for 3,485 yards with 41touchdowns. He committed toWake Forest University to playcollege football.[2]
Walker played at Wake Forest in 2019 and 2020. During those two years he rushed for 1,158 yards on 217 carries with 17 touchdowns.[3][4] After the 2020 season, Walker transferred toMichigan State University.[5][6] He became the starter his first year at Michigan State.[7][8] In his debut with the Spartans, he rushed for 264 yards and four touchdowns.[9][10] His four touchdowns doubled the Michigan State 2020 season total, and were the first for a Spartan running back since the 2019 season.[11] Walker III was awarded theDoak Walker andWalter Camp Player of the Year Award and finished 6th in theHeisman for the2021 NCAA season.[12][13] He earned ConsensusAll-American honors for the 2021 season.[14] Following the season, he announced that he would forgo his senior year and declared for the2022 NFL draft.[15]
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2019 | Wake Forest | 13 | 0 | 98 | 579 | 5.9 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 0 |
| 2020 | Wake Forest | 8 | 8 | 119 | 579 | 4.9 | 13 | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Michigan State | 12 | 12 | 263 | 1,636 | 6.2 | 18 | 13 | 89 | 6.8 | 1 |
| Career | 33 | 20 | 480 | 2,794 | 5.8 | 35 | 19 | 136 | 7.2 | 1 | |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft9+1⁄4 in (1.76 m) | 211 lb (96 kg) | 30+3⁄8 in (0.77 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 4.38 s | 1.49 s | 2.53 s | 34.0 in (0.86 m) | 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) | |||
| All values fromNFL Combine[16][17][18] | ||||||||||||
Walker was drafted by theSeattle Seahawks in the second round with the 41st overall pick in the2022 NFL draft.[19]
Walker made his NFL debut in Week 2 against theSan Francisco 49ers.[20] In Week 5, against theNew Orleans Saints, he had a 69-yard rushing touchdown in the 32–39 loss.[21] He was named the starting running back for the Seattle Seahawks afterRashaad Penny was placed oninjured reserve.[22] In Week 7, against theLos Angeles Chargers, Walker rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns in the 37–23 victory.[23] On November 3, Walker was named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Month for October.[24] In Week 9, he rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns in a 31–21 victory over theArizona Cardinals.[25] In Week 12, he had another game with two rushing touchdowns in the 40–34 loss to theLas Vegas Raiders.[26] He closed out the regular season with three consecutive games with over 100 rushing yards. He finished his rookie season with 228 carries for 1,050 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns to go along with 27 receptions for 165 receiving yards.[27] He joinedCurt Warner as the only players in franchise history to rush for at least 1,000 yards as a rookie.[28] On January 14, 2023, during the2022–23 NFL playoffs, Walker rushed the ball 15 times for 63 yards and a touchdown, during a 41–23Wild Card Round loss to the 49ers.[29][30] He was named to the2022 Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team.[31]
In Week 3, Walker totaled 156 scrimmage yards with a pair of rushing touchdowns in a 37–27 win over theCarolina Panthers, earningNational Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week.[32] Walker finished the 2023 season with 219 carries for 905 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns to go with 29 receptions for 259 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in 15 games.[33]
Walker dealt with injury throughout the 2024 campaign, making 11 total starts and compiling 573 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, 299 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.[34] On December 26, 2024, Walker was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury, ending his season.[35]
Walker started all 17 games for the Seahawks for the first time in his career, finishing with 1,027 rushing yards on 221 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt. His rushing touchdown total was lower than in previous years, at five, as fellow running backZach Charbonnet handled the majority of Seattle’s goal-line carries. Walker also tallied 31 receptions for 282 receiving yards.[36]
Walker's workload increased during the postseason after Charbonnet tore his ACL in the first half of the Seahawks' Divisional round game against theSan Francisco 49ers.[37] Walker finished the game with 116 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries as Seattle won 41–6.[38] Against theLos Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game, Walker totaled 111 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown, helping the Seahawks secure a 31–27 win and a berth inSuper Bowl LX.[39] In Super Bowl LX, Walker amassed 27 carries for a season-high 135 yards and 26 receiving yards, leading the Seahawks to a 29–13 victory over theNew England Patriots and earningSuper Bowl MVP honors.[40] Walker's 135 rush yards were the most in a Super Bowl sinceTerrell Davis inSuper Bowl XXXII.[40]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Super Bowl MVP | |
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career High |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Y/R | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2022 | SEA | 15 | 11 | 228 | 1,050 | 4.6 | 74T | 9 | 27 | 165 | 6.1 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | SEA | 15 | 15 | 219 | 905 | 4.1 | 45 | 8 | 29 | 259 | 8.9 | 64T | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | SEA | 11 | 11 | 153 | 573 | 3.7 | 28 | 7 | 46 | 299 | 6.5 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | SEA | 17 | 17 | 221 | 1,027 | 4.6 | 55 | 5 | 31 | 282 | 9.1 | 46 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 58 | 54 | 821 | 3,555 | 4.3 | 74 | 29 | 133 | 1,005 | 7.6 | 64 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2022 | SEA | 1 | 1 | 15 | 63 | 4.2 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | SEA | 3 | 3 | 65 | 313 | 4.8 | 30 | 4 | 11 | 104 | 11.6 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 4 | 4 | 80 | 376 | 4.7 | 30 | 5 | 12 | 107 | 10.7 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
