Seahawks draft UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet with No. 52 pick
The Seattle Seahawks added a running back in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft Friday evening, taking UCLA's Zach Charbonnet at No. 52 overall.
The selection of Charbonnet marked the second straight year Seattle used a second-round pick on a running back. Last year it was Kenneth Walker III, who burst onto the scene when Rashaad Penny was lost to injury and ended up as a finalist for offensive rookie of the year.
Charbonnet gives Seattle a complementary runner to pair with Walker. With Penny and Travis Homer leaving in free agency, the only two running backs on Seattle's roster were Walker and Deejay Dallas.
Charbonnet transferred to UCLA prior to his junior year and rushed for more than 1,100 yards in both of his seasons for the Bruins.
Charbonnet was a first-team all-Pac-12 player in 2022, leading UCLA with 1,359 rushing yards on 195 carries in 10 starts.
"As a runner, just a physical running style. Downhill, one cut, that's the type of game I play," Charbonnet said. "I have full ability to make someone miss and then just catch it out of the backfield."
Seattle took Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the fifth pick in the first round. The Seahawks selected wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba with the 20th overall pick.
Seattle also had the 83rd pick still to come on the second day. The No. 37 pick was part of Seattle's return in the trade that sent Russell Wilson to Denver before last season.