Fansided

One breakout candidate for each NFL team in 2018

By Brad Weiss

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 31: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes
DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 31: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
29 of 32
Next
MOBILE, AL – JANUARY 27: Runningback Rashaad Penny #20 of San Diego State on the South Team on a running play during the 2018 Resse’s Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 27, 2018 in Mobile, Alabama. The South defeated the North 45 to 16. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rashaad Penny
MOBILE, AL – JANUARY 27: Runningback Rashaad Penny #20 of San Diego State on the South Team on a running play during the 2018 Resse’s Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 27, 2018 in Mobile, Alabama. The South defeated the North 45 to 16. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rashaad Penny /

36. . Running Back. . Rashaad Penny. . team

To say the Seattle Seahawks had a disappointing season in 2017 would be saying it politely, as they failed to make the playoffs for the first time in five years. The team was not terrible, finishing with a 9-7 record, but they had to deal with a ton of injuries, and their running game was at best pitiful.

Quarterback Russell Wilson had another tremendous season, and when it came to the rushing leaders, he was actually the name at the top of the list. The running back who had the most yards for the Seahawks last season was Mike Davis, who ended the campaign with a whopping 240 yards on the ground.

During the 2018 NFL Draft, the Seahawks knew they had to do something to turn around the running game. They made a very solid choice in the first round by selecting San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny, who just happened to lead the country in rushing yards (2,248), and touchdowns (23) during his final season with the Aztecs.

Penny had an incredible career at San Diego State, as he did not miss a single game, and racked up over 4,000 yards of total offense. He is a very smart runner, and has the kind of speed that could make him an elite back in this league right out of the gate, as he ran a 4.46 40-yard dash during the NFL Scouting Combine.

We have seen rookies come into the league and lead it in rushing in the past two years in Dallas Cowboy Ezekiel Elliott (2016), and Kansas City Chief Kareem Hunt (2017). Penny has that kind of ability, and with a roster in flux in Seattle, they are going to need every bit of him in 2018.