When the Seahawks made running back Rashaad Penny a first-round pick in 2018, those who make their living in whole or in part by hyping each and every first-round pick praised the Seahawks for snagging one of the many annual can’t-miss prospects.
So far, Penny has missed. Earlier this year, the Seahawks did not pick up Penny’s fifth-year option.
As he enters his fourth season, he’s now in a contract year. And he’s making the most of it.
“He looks really the best we’ve seen him,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters on Saturday. “He’s 220’s, 225 in there. He looks really light on his feet. He’s really confident in his burst and changing direction and all that. He’s off to a great start. It’s really comforting to see that all of the work he did paid off. He stayed in town for the bulk of the offseason and worked with our guys. He maxed out here. You can see it. It’s big pay back here. Really anxious to see him and get going as we get into ball games and all.”
Penny suffered a torn ACL in 2019. He appeared in only three games last season.
In three NFL campaigns, Penny has a total of 823 rushing yards. That’s not nearly enough to make it over the long haul in the NFL.