ESPN NFL analyst slams Seahawks for recent draft selection: 'It didn't make a ton of sense'
There was one 2023 NFL Draft selection that didn’t make sense to anyone.
Not everyone was a fan of the Seattle Seahawks choosing to take a running back early in the 2023 NFL Draft.
One of those detractors, ESPN's Mina Kimes, said the move to draft UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet with the No. 52 overall selection was a move that made no sense at all.
"There's kind of two sides to this, right?" Kimes said on a recent episode of Locked On Seahawks. "How do you feel about the player? And how do you feel about the value and the need? I really love the player… The value and the need, I thought it didn't make a ton of sense to me, especially given some of the other holes on the roster, some of the other players that were available there. It's not what I would have done or wished for the team in terms of maximizing the draft picks they had."
Though Charbonnet is a good player, where Kimes struggles to understand the Seahawks' rationale is in selecting another running back with Keneth Walker III on the roster and having a gaping need upfront on the defensive line.
What Kimes stresses, however, is that Charbonnet is a good player. The problem she has is found in the principle: Teams shouldn't draft running backs when they already have a good one on the roster while also possessing other needs.
With that being said, Kimes still likes Charbonnet's potential.
"I do really like the player," Kimes said. "I thought he was so balanced. A guy who's kind of just good at everything, frankly, very efficient, breaks tackles, runs with good vision, smart back, I think there's a path to be a decent pass protector in the NFL, and then a really underrated pass catcher too. He has really nice hands and in college, he was a really reliable check-down option. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays the same role for Seattle."
Kimes added: "In terms of giving the Seahawks depth, we'll see how he's deployed. I'm very curious to see actually how he gets mixed into the offense early on. But to me, he has a very, very high floor in the NFL. And to that end, I could see him being really useful, especially if God forbid, Ken Walker gets injured again, I think he can definitely step in and produce at a pretty high level."
The time will come when the Seahawks will either reap the rewards of drafting a running back in the second round or deal with the crisis that will come from unfulfilled needs. What is clear, however, is that for Kimes, it wasn't a risk worth taking.
Feature image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.
