Kenneth Walker III was robbed of NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award

Being snubbed is nothing new to Kenneth Walker III.

First, he was snubbed in the Wake Forest running back battle as he had to split carries for two seasons before transferring to Michigan State. Then he was snubbed from national player of the week after torching Northwestern in his first game for over 200 yards.

And then, he was snubbed from an invite to New York for the Heisman ceremony despite being a favorite to win the coveted award for a good chunk of the season. Then he was snubbed by being the second running back chosen in the 2022 NFL Draft.

So when he was snubbed once again on Thursday night at the NFL honors, it was just another expected robbery.

Walker received the most first-place votes for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year yet he finished in second place behind Jets receiver Garrett Wilson.

https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1623874011925999623?s=20&t=A-cnLQr9x5CQtCgnns8gHQ

How does this happen? Well, think of it like voting for a political candidate. There are two favorites (Walker and Wilson) and then a third-party candidate (Brock Purdy). When people vote for the third-party candidate because they just want to waste a vote, it takes votes away from the overall favorite (Walker). That’s what happened here.

Purdy pieced together a great half of a season, but that’s all it was: a half of a season.

Walker, on the other hand, was one of the NFL’s top rushers, finishing with 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns and really put the Seahawks’ run game on his back. What a shame.

Kenneth Walker III will continue to play with a chip on his shoulder

We saw Walker play like an underdog at Michigan State and that led to him rushing for over 1,500 yards and winning the Doak Walker Award. And then we saw him take over the Seahawks’ backfield after starting the season as the backup and he ran with a purpose all the way to the 1,000-yard mark.

Now, he’s going to be running angry after realizing he still needs to prove himself.

Expect a monster season from Walker in 2023 as he is likely to be one of the league’s top backs once again.