Running Back – UCLA
6’1″ 220 lbs
2nd Round – 21st pick (52nd Overall) Seattle Seahawks
Coming into this draft, Zach Charbonnet was one of my favorite rookie running backs. Besides Bijan Robinson, there aren’t many running backs in this class with the BMI and size to be a three-down back. The reason I liked Charbonnet so much was because he was a talented running back with a BMI of 29.
Charbonnet is a great physical runner, and more importantly, he’s a very good pass catcher as well, catching 37 passes in 2022. Even though he has some questions due to not playing against elite defenses, he is still an excellent prospect.
Fantasy Football Outlook
For fantasy football purposes, Charbonnet landing with Seattle isn’t exactly ideal. Kenneth Walker had a fantastic rookie season last year and looks like someone who can potentially be a top running back in today’s NFL.
While the start of this article was very upbeat about how good of a player Charbonnet is, talking about his future outlook is where things start to go downhill. Charbonnet went to the worst possible landing spot in the draft. The Seattle Seahawks.
This choice is puzzling as the Seahawks already have an extremely talented young running back in Walker. Walker was phenomenal last year, putting up a 1,050, 9, and 27 stat line.
I don’t expect much from Charbonnet in Redraft next year, as he will be in a timeshare with Walker. In his rookie season, Charbonnet will likely see 35-40% of the snaps, which is not good from a fantasy standpoint. It seems as if the Seahawks are trying to build an elite committee backfield.
This pick knocks Walker in my rankings as well. No one wins from this selection, as the two will split time the whole year. One of the reasons I was most excited about Charbonnet was the possibility that he could receive a three-down workload. Now that this is off the table, I’ll only be drafting Charbonnet in case Walker goes down.
Dynasty Outlook
Prior to the NFL Draft, Charbonnet was gaining more hype in dynasty rookie drafts and was going at the 1.07-1.10 range. It seemed like a sure thing that Charbonnet would be going to a great situation with solid draft capital, which is all you can ask for in a running back. However, as we talked about before, disaster struck for Charbonnet.
I’m dropping Charbonnet all the way down to the 2.01-2.05 range in my rookie drafts. While I like Charbonnet more in Dynasty than Redraft, the highest, I see his ceiling at 40% of the touches in the backfield. Walker is only 22, and there are no signs of him leaving this team anytime soon.
With Charbonnet, there isn’t much upside at all. I would be more comfortable taking a player like Will Levis or Zay Flowers in this range. The situation is so bad, and what makes it even worse is that the running back ahead of him is so young.
Normally you can go out and pick talent over the situation, even if that doesn’t work as much at the running back position. But, on the other hand, I’m not doing that, no matter what with this backfield.
There is no possibility that either of these players will leave the team any time soon due to their young age and contracts. This is just a horrible situation for not only Charbonnet but Walker as well.
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