Seattle Seahawks select RB Zach Charbonnet with the No. 52 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft
The Seattle Seahawks have a great one-two punch in the backfield.
By selecting Zach Charbonnet with the No. 52 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks have a great theoretical one-two punch in the backfield.
Charbonnet now joins a rookie class that features cornerback Devon Witherspoon, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and outside linebacker Derick Hall. On paper, it is shaping up to be a wonderful draft hall for a Seahawks team aiming to compete for an NFL Playoff spot in the 2023 NFL season.
But the question remains: What are the Seahawks getting in their latest selection of Charbonnett? Let's explore that question now.
Charbonnet is among the top three best running backs in this draft class. He carries the potential to become a three-down back in the NFL, in the right system. And it is safe to say the Seahawks may be the perfect system for his career.
At the draft combine, Charbonnet measured 6 feet, 214 pounds. He ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash and 1.54-second 10-yard split, with a 37” vertical jump. His measurables aren't elite, but they do showcase a running back that can be an every-down threat in the NFL.
In four seasons in college between Michigan and UCLA, Charbonnet totaled 566 carries for 3,361 yards (5.9 yards per carry), and 39 rushing touchdowns. He added 75 receptions for 589 yards. He made a name for himself during the final two seasons at UCLA. As a junior in 2021, Charbonnet had 203 rushes for 1,149 yards (5.7 yards per carry), with 13 touchdowns. He also added 24 receptions for 197 yards. Charbonnet’s senior season in 2022 saw him total 195 carries for 1,362 yards (7.0 yards per carry), with 14 touchdowns, including 37 receptions for 321 yards.
Kenneth Walker III has a backfield running mate that makes the Seahawks' offense even more intriguing come the 2023 season. It won't be all on the running backs to make something happen — with the addition of Smith-Njigba to a wide receiver room of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. But now the Seahawks have a pick-your-poison dynamic to what they aim to do on offense with a two-headed monster in the backfield.
On the surface, it seems like things are shaping up in Seattle.
