Seahawks draft edge Boye Mafe, running back Kenneth Walker with back-to-back second round picks
No. 40 – Boye MayfeNo. 40 – Boye Mayfe
SEATTLE – The Seahawks added to their pass rush with their first pick of the second day of the NFL draft Friday, taking Minnesota linebacker/edge rusher Boye Mafe.
Mafe was taken at pick No. 40, the first of two straight picks Seattle had in the second round, following with a surprising pick of running back Kenneth Walker III of Michigan State with its 41st overall pick.
The Seahawks had Mafe in for a private visit before the draft. The 6-foot-4, 255-pounder is projected as a good fit as an outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense that Seattle wants to run under new defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt.
Mafe played outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense at Minnesota and told Seattle reporters shortly after he was drafted that “I’m comfortable being the outside linebacker. Whatever is needed of me. Kind of figuring that out right now.”
Mafe’s draft stock rose with his performance at the Senior Bowl and then at the combine when he ranked fourth or better among all defensive linemen in the 40-yard dash (4.53 seconds), vertical jump (38 inches) and the broad jump (10- 5 ).
“One of the most unique athletes in college football,” Lindy’s wrote, making a comparison of Mafe to Uchenna Nwosu, whom the Seahawks signed as a free agent last month as an outside linebacker/edge rusher.
Mafe had seven sacks last year as a senior at Minnesota.
Mafe was acquired with a pick the Seahawks received in the trade of quarterback Russell Wilson to Denver.
The Seahawks are reshaping their defensive line in the wake of the hiring of Hurtt to try to fix a defense that ranked 28th in yards allowed in the NFL in 2021. The Seahawks released ends Carlos Dunlap, Benson Mayowa and Kerry Hyder after the season and also have not re-signed Rasheem Green, who remains a free agent.
Dunlap led Seattle in sacks last year with 8.5 while Green tied with Darrell Taylor with 6.5.
Seattle will count on Taylor, Nwosu, Mafe and Alton Robinson to key the pass rush.
Mafe, asked to describe his feeling being drafted Friday, said, “It’s euphoric.” He got acquainted with the city a little during his Top 30 visit with the Seahawks, saying, “I had a great visit when I was out there in Seattle.”
“Mafe’s evaluation requires the evaluator to focus more closely on the flashes than just the play-to-play action,” NFL.com wrote of Mafe in its scouting report. “His combination of rare explosive measurables with average fundamentals could make for a perfect storm of rapid development once he gets focused skill work at the pro level. His footwork is average and he lacks desired instincts as a rusher, but pairing efficient hand work with twitchy upper-body power could turn him into a productive rush bully. He has the traits and toughness to develop into an above-average starter as a 4-3 base end.”
No. 41 – Kenneth Walker III
It wouldn’t be a Seahawks draft without a surprise thrown in.
In selecting Mafe and Walker, the Seahawks bypassed taking a quarterback.
Only one had been selected to that point, Kenny Pickett of Pitt, who went to Pittsburgh in the first round Thursday. That left Liberty’s Malik Willis, Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, Ole Miss’ Matt Corral and North Carolina’s Sam Howell – all perceived as possible first- or second-round picks – still available.
But Carroll and Schneider have spoken strongly of their belief that Drew Lock – acquired in the Russell Wilson trade – can be a viable NFL starting quarterback. Seattle also re-signed Geno Smith, who started three games last year in place of Wilson.
And maybe Seattle thinks it can still acquire a quarterback either later in the draft or a veteran after the draft.
That only one QB had been taken to that point, though, also served as further confirmation that NFL teams are skeptical about the ability of the QBs available this year.
Seattle has one more pick left on Friday, No. 72 in the third round.
Running back wasn’t necessarily perceived as a big need for Seattle after re-signing Rashaad Penny last month.
But Seattle has concerns about the health of Chris Carson, who had neck surgery last season. The Seahawks have said it is unclear if Carson will be able to play this season and that they likely won’t know until training camp.
With coach Pete Carroll wanting to get back to a strong running game in the post-Russell Wilson era of Seahawks football the team decided to add to its depth.
Also, Penny is on just a one-year contract and has had durability issues of his own, and Seattle’s running back situation after those two is unproven with Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas having so far appeared best fits as third-down/two-minute backs and special teamers.
Durability is not a question with Walker, who had 1,636 yards on 263 carries in 12 games last year for the Spartans to win the Doak Walker Award as college football’s best running back.
That included a 264-yard game against Northwestern.
And if the choice of Walker might have caught fans and draft observers by surprise, it also took Walker aback a little.
Walker said he had a meeting with the Seahawks at the combine and a later Zoom call with Seattle running back coach Chad Morton. But otherwise, he said he had little contact with the Seahawks and did not have much of an idea they would take him Friday.
“I am very surprised,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s a blessing to be on this team.”
Walker, listed at 5-9, 211, ran a 4.38 40 at the combine which he said felt improved his stock with NFL teams.
“Yeah, I felt like it helped me a lot because I felt like a lot of people thought I was kind of slower, you know, like on film there’s like, people questioning my speed,” he said. “But being able to run that 3.48, it was great and I feel like that helped a lot during the process.”
He began his career at Wake Forest and played there for two seasons before transferring to Michigan State, saying that MSU’s pro-style offense was a better fit for his skills.
Walker was the second running back taken after Breece Hall of Iowa State was selected by the Jets at 36.
Pro Football Focus rated Walker as the best running back available in the draft, writing: “RB1 checking in. Walker went from relative unknown to the best back in the country. He led all of college football with 89 broken tackles this past season, including 20 against Miami alone. … Walker isn’t a one-year wonder. He’s the real deal and has an all-around NFL skill set.”