Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State Football: 5 best landing spots for Kenneth Walker III in NFL draft

By Emmett Matasovsky

Michigan State's Kenneth Walker III avoids a tackle by Michigan's R.J. Moten during his touchdown run during the fourth quarter on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
Michigan State's Kenneth Walker III avoids a tackle by Michigan's R.J. Moten during his touchdown run during the fourth quarter on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
Nov 21, 2021; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) runs as Washington Football Team free safety Kamren Curl (31) defends in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2021; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) runs as Washington Football Team free safety Kamren Curl (31) defends in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Carolina Panthers

Division: NFC South
Running back room (age): Christian McCaffery (25), Chuba Hubbard (22), D’Onta Foreman (26), Spencer Brown (23), Darius Bradwell (24)

I can hear your first thought already: “Carolina? Really?”

So listen to me.

The Panthers have stated they are fielding calls for Christian McCaffery, and I would not be surprised if they move on from the Stanford product and look for a second running back to complement Chuba Hubbard. He was lights out at Oklahoma State and rushed for over 600 yards as a rookie. I don’t see the Panthers being sold on Hubbard, nor do I see them being content with any of the other backs in the room to be a complementary back. So, enter Kenneth Walker III.

The Carolina offensive line is not great, and Walker’s ability to remain on his feet and push through contact is astounding. Walker had over 1,000 yards after contact this year, with one of the best percentages of yards after contact in the Big Ten in recent history.

I do not see K9 faltering against any NFL defense either. Against a Michigan front that is sending two players to be drafted in the first round, Kenneth Walker III put up nearly 200 yards and five touchdowns.

So the question becomes: why not Walker? He will take the pressure off of a new quarterback, assuming the recent rumblings of them taking their top passer at No. 6 this year are true. If not, Walker will help power the Panther team that knows Sam Darnold is not their answer at quarterback.

Home/Spartans Football