It's been a long time since the Kansas City Chiefs have employed a running back who measured on any sort of NFL's best list, but those days are in the past. Starting in '26, Chiefs Kingdom can look forward to debating the position of Kenneth Walker III on such rankings, starting with a new anonymous survey of execs, coaches, and scouts from ESPN.
Reporter Jeremy Fowler unveiled the top 10 as some unnamed voters in NFL circles see them, and Walker is featured near the bottom. Sitting at No. 9 overall, Walker just edged New York Jets running back Breece Hall (who is also a former Chiefs flirtation), with Fowler reporting a top ranking of No. 6 and at least one other ballot keeping him out of the top 10 completely.
Walker's position in the top 10 makes sense given the competition around him. On the one hand, Walker is fresh off of a dominant postseason run that served as a global breakout moment for a player who always had an exclamation point after the word "explosive" on his scouting report. He won Super Bowl MVP after placing the Seahawks offense on his shoulders in a win over the New England Patriots last February. The final tally: 74 touches, 417 yards, 4 touchdowns in the postseason.
On the other hand, the Seahawks never turned the ground game over to Walker completely. Zach Charbonnet was the tandem partner, helping to aid Walker's load management, which was kept at a healthy 15 carries per game. Consequently, Walker never put up the sort of gaudy totals that would place him beside the league leaders—not for a lack of talent but because he's not a bell cow. Or at least he's not been before now.
The Chiefs are paying Walker to be a lead back, or at least to handle a much more generous load than what he ever handled in Seatlte. Last year, Walker ranked No. 20 in total carries with 221, while those higher on ESPN's list—such as Jonathan Taylor of the Colts or Christian McCaffrey of the 49ers—had 100 more, or a 45% higher share. That's significant.
As for the Chiefs, they're not relying solely on Walker. Emari Demercado was also signed in free agency as a third-down back and Emmett Johnson was drafted in the fifth round out of Nebraska. Walker has help. But the Chiefs would be wise to lean more on Walker than the Seahawks did a year ago, not only to get more bang for their considerable buck—he was signed to a three-year deal worth up to $45 million—but to maximize his talents in an offense that lacked any sort of dynamism a year ago.
If Walker stays healthy, expect to see him higher on this list in 2027, but for now, the ranking of No. 9 overall makes sense given the talent he possesses and the ceiling on his opportunities before now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google