Seahawks needed Kenneth Walker III to live up to his draft hype. So far, he has

“Marvelous, miraculous runs.” 

“He’s going to shock you with the things that he does.” 

“So laterally gifted in breaking and bursting.”

It sounds like a collection of reviews for a movie or a Las Vegas magic act. It’s actually Seahawks coach Pete Carroll talking about rookie running back Kenneth Walker III. 

But for those who watched Walker on Sunday — or the past two Sundays for that matter — Carroll’s words might not seem so hyperbolic. Of all the first-year players to shine, he was first and foremost. 

The Seahawks (3-3) launched themselves into a tie for first place in the NFC West with a 19-9 win over the Cardinals on Sunday. They finally got a shutdown effort from their much-maligned defense, which included interception No. 4 from rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen and forced fumble No. 4 from rookie cornerback Coby Bryant. But the big mystery was whether Walker could serve as an adequate replacement for starting running back Rashaad Penny, who was on pace for a career year before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in New Orleans last week. 

Well, in his 97-yard, 21-carry, one-touchdown performance, Walker was more than adequate. In fact, it’s hard to tell which sound was louder from the Seahawks faithful — the “oohs” and “ahs” or the collective sigh of relief. 

Walker now has rushed for 184 yards on 29 attempts in his past two outings, preserving the run-pass balance in Seattle’s attack that Penny’s injury threatened. And he has collected those yards with a sense of flair commensurate with Carroll’s acclaim. 

On the Seahawks’ first drive in Sunday’s win, Walker took a direct snap on third-and-five and dashed 17 yards for a first down. One play later — in the “marvelous and miraculous” category — he juked the whole left side of the Cardinals’ defense with a cutback that netted him 34 yards. 

He had added a 21-yard rush in the third quarter, then an 11-yard touchdown run in the fourth. Any one of these move-the-sticks or light-up-the-scoreboard darts were highlight-reel worthy, but the one that stood out to his quarterback was one that barely moved the ball at all.

“It was one of those runs where he might have gained 1 yard, but he made like six dudes miss,” Seahawks signal caller Geno Smith said. “That’s just how special he is. He can make something out of nothing.” 

That might be especially true of what Walker did at Michigan State. The Spartans, remember, came into this season as the No. 15 team in the country — which was unsurprising given that they capped an 11-2 season last year with a Peach Bowl win over Pittsburgh.

Of course, much of that was due to the 1,636 rushing yards Walker compiled en route to winning the Doak Walker Award for the nation’s best running back. But now Michigan State is 3-4 with just one win over a Power Five opponent, thus prompting the joke that Walker single-handedly spawned Spartans coach Mel Tucker’s 10-year, $95 million contract.

And while we’re on the subject of teams that play on Saturdays — it sure looked like Kenneth was back in college at Lumen Field. Walker was the primary mover of Seattle’s offense on a day when Smith (20 of 31 for 197 yards and five sacks) was held in check. He didn’t bruise his way down field 5 yards at a time the way Marshawn Lynch might have back in the day, but displayed a rabbit-like agility that made him a threat to break loose on any given run. 

Assuming he can keep this up — which is a big assumption in the NFL — it means the Seahawks can continue to play the Carroll-style of run-first football that has characterized this offense for over a decade. And it makes taking him at 41st overall in the draft — a pick some scoffed at given the analytics crowd’s devaluation of the running-back position — seem (for now, at least) brilliant.

So what was on Walker’s mind today?

“First off, I wanted to play for Rashaad because that’s somebody that always supported me,” he said.

What about your performance?

“I think it was a good performance. A lot of times you think that and go back and watch film and miss some things, but I thought I did pretty good.” 

How did you split so many tackles?

“I was just running hard. I never like the first guy to tackle me.” 

Walker’s yards-per-carry might be more prolific than his words-per-question, but that’s fine. The Seahawks have a legitimate RB1 who’s generating A-list hype.

He may just live up to it.