When you piece together an NFL Draft streak as long as Michigan State's before it was snapped in 2021, you're bound to have some talented players grace the program before starring in the league.
Over the past 15, or so, years, Michigan State has sent Jack Conklin, Le'Veon Bell, Kirk Cousins, and countless others to be stars in the NFL. Those were all Mark Dantonio era players who rose through the ranks and really surprised people with their pro potential.
But Mel Tucker had some elite talent come through East Lansing under his watch, too.
In fact, he had Jayden Reed, Keon Coleman, and Kenneth Walker III on the same team and it's no surprise that the 2021 Spartans had so much success. Since then, however, it's been hard times for Michigan State football. One of those players, too, has fallen on some hard times due to injury issues and that's Walker.
Injuries have really marred his past two seasons after recording 1,000 rushing yards as a rookie and finishing in second place in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Garrett Wilson. Unfortunately, the past two seasons have led to some fans giving up on him.
One NFL writer says "not so fast".
According to NFL.com's Gennaro Filice, Walker is the Seahawks' most underappreciated player and one of the most overlooked in the NFC because of his injury-riddled past two seasons.
"But the running back’s past two seasons have been marred by injuries and the continual deterioration of Seattle’s offensive line. In the final year of his rookie contract, though, Walker could enjoy a significant bounceback. First of all, GM John Schneider used April’s first-round pick on Grey Zabel, giving the interior O-line a much-needed infusion of talent. More importantly, second-year head coach Mike Macdonald has painstakingly expressed his desire to re-establish the ground game in Seattle. After a one-year dalliance with the more aerially oriented Ryan Grubb as his offensive coordinator, Macdonald swapped in Klint Kubiak, whose outside-zone scheme feels like a really nice fit for Walker’s one-cut explosiveness."Gennaro Filice, NFL.com
The new offensive scheme should definitely help Walker and I've heard that point brought up before so it makes sense that it's a fair narrative to run with. Also, if he stays healthy, he can be a star. There's really no doubt about that.
There's also no doubt that Walker is the most underappreciated player on Seattle.
Overlook him at your owl peril because he's about to make a lot of people look silly in 2025.