There’s a new premier running back toting the rock for the Kansas City Chiefs after a strong franchise history of top backs.
After winning Super Bowl LX MVP for the Seattle Seahawks in 2025, Kenneth Walker is entering his first season with the Chiefs as a top-10 back, according to a survey of NFL “executives, coaches and scouts” done by ESPN writer Jeremy Fowler.
9. Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City Chiefs
Highest ranking: 6 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 25 | Last year’s ranking: Received votesThe reigning
Super Bowl MVP is the first since Dexter Jackson (2003) to win the award and change teams the next season. After two 1,000-yard seasons in Seattle, Walker is tasked with elevating the Chiefs’ running attack.
“He reminds me a lot of a mix between peak Kareem Hunt and Maurice Jones-Drew,” an AFC executive said. “Dense lower body, fast enough, tough to bring down. Not sure how his game will age yet, but he should be good this year.”
Walker appeared on nearly 60% of the ballots, with voters noting his combination of open-field vision and physicality elevating him.
Walker has averaged a modest 15.2 carries per game for his career, a total that could increase in Kansas City.
The AFC executive’s quote comparing Walker to Hunt and Jones-Drew is not only fascinating, but it’s also a reminder that the Chiefs haven’t had a back considered as one of the league’s best since Hunt’s stretch as a rookie in 2017 that bled into 2018 before the team cut him for his off-field saga.
Hunt returned to Kansas City and re-established himself as a talented player worthy of a big share of the team’s backfield, but he remains unsigned this offseason at 30 years old. He was a necessity due to the lack of playmaking in the backfield before (and during) his second stint with the Chiefs.
He was no longer one of the league’s top running backs over the last couple of seasons, and that’s something Kansas City has grown to take pride in throughout the Chiefs’ history.
From the “Nigerian nightmare” that was running back Christian Okoye to the NFL’s all-time leader among running backs in yards per carry, Jamaal Charles, Chiefs Kingdom has proudly rooted for elite running backs, earning that reputation among football fans as a whole.
Walker has that respect before he ever puts on a Chiefs uniform, including one voter in this survey who considers Walker the sixth-best back in the league.
Does Walker feel like the next great Chiefs running back, falling in line with names like Marcus Allen and Priest Holmes? Let us know in the comments.
