4 dark-horse top targets for 49ers in 2022 NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
805. Scouting Report. Michigan State. Kenneth Walker III. Pick Analysis. Running Back. 3. player
49ers NFL Draft dark-horse No. 3: RB Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State
Going with a running back with their first pick might be almost counterintuitive to what Kyle Shanahan and San Francisco would do in the NFL Draft, and they already have second-year pro Elijah Mitchell in the folds as the projected RB1 in 2022.
Yet no rusher has ever remained a constant in Shanahan’s offense on a year-to-year basis since he took over duties in 2017, and Mitchell does come with an early injury history, having played in only 11 games his rookie season.
The 49ers are poised also to lose rushers Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr., too, to free agency.
Enter Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III, who could wind up being the first halfback taken in this year’s class and is coming off an impressive 1,600-plus yard campaign with 18 touchdowns on the ground last season:
| Rushing | Receiving | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2019 | Wake Forest | ACC | FR | RB | 13 | 98 | 579 | 5.9 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 0 | 101 | 596 | 5.9 | 4 |
| *2020 | Wake Forest | ACC | SO | RB | 7 | 119 | 579 | 4.9 | 13 | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 | 122 | 609 | 5.0 | 13 |
| *2021 | Michigan State | Big Ten | JR | RB | 12 | 263 | 1636 | 6.2 | 18 | 13 | 89 | 6.8 | 1 | 276 | 1725 | 6.3 | 19 |
| Career | Overall | 480 | 2794 | 5.8 | 35 | 19 | 136 | 7.2 | 1 | 499 | 2930 | 5.9 | 36 | ||||
| Wake Forest | 217 | 1158 | 5.3 | 17 | 6 | 47 | 7.8 | 0 | 223 | 1205 | 5.4 | 17 | |||||
| Michigan State | 263 | 1636 | 6.2 | 18 | 13 | 89 | 6.8 | 1 | 276 | 1725 | 6.3 | 19 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 3/4/2022.
The compactly built 5-foot-9, 211-pound Walker has the kind of one-cut twitchiness that should make him a seamless fit in Shanahan’s offense, the kind of abilities the Niners’ third-round pick from a year ago, running back Trey Sermon, failed to display his rookie year.
And while Walker might seem to be a bit of a reach, at least from San Francisco’s vantage point, it wouldn’t be at all shocking to see the team place a high priority on landing a true No. 1 tailback in the draft.
Perhaps as early as late in Round 2 if Walker falls that far.