2018 NFL Draft: San Diego State RB Rashaad Penny Selected By Seattle Seahawks At #27
The Seahawks surprise many by tabbing the dynamic Aztec playmaker as its first selection.
San Diego State’s do-it-all runner heads to the Pacific Northwest
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With the 27th pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks surprised the prognosticators by selecting San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny.
After Saquan Barkley, the 5-foot-11, 220-pound Penny had a good an argument as any at being the class’s second-best running back, after picking up where former Aztec Donnel Pumphrey left off in 2017 by leading the FBS with 2,248 rushing yards and 2,971 all-purpose yards. He also accounted for 28 total touchdowns on the ground, as a pass-catcher and as a return specialist last year, too, and 44 touchdowns in the last two years.
By Speed Score, an advanced measure from Football Outsiders that accounts for speed as it relates to a runner’s size, Penny ranked third among all running backs. The ability to do a little bit of everything must have appealed to Pete Carroll and the Seahawks’ front office, which struggled with its running game last season but now has an intriguing weapon to pair with franchise quarterback Russell Wilson.
With the first-round selection, Penny becomes the Aztecs’ first such pick since Kyle Turley was chosen eighth overall in 1998.
