Seattle Seahawks select Zach Charbonnet in second round of 2023 NFL Draft

Former UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet will be carrying the ball for the Seahawks instead of the Bruins this season, as he was selected No. 52 overall in the 2nd round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.

Out of high school, Charbonnet was a four-star recruit out of Oaks Christian in Westlake Village, California, where he was ranked the No. 42 overall player and the No. 4 running back in the nation according to On3’s Industry Ranking.

Michigan was Charbonnet’s school of choice out of high school, where he busted onto the scene as a freshman rushing for 726 yards and 11 touchdowns (a freshman school record). He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention and named the team’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, but decided to head back to the west coast his junior year, enrolling at UCLA in the spring of 2019.

For the next two seasons, Charbonnet would establish himself as one of the best all-purpose running backs in the nation. He’d rush for 1,137 yards and 13 touchdowns his junior year along with 24 catches for 197 yards, followed by a senior year where he ran for 1,359 yards and 14 touchdowns with 37 catches for 321 receiving yards.

In his senior season he had eight games with 100 or more rushing yards, led the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game averaging 135.9, and led the nation in all-purpose yards per game with 168.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Zach Charbonnet

Zach Charbonnet has the resume, skillset, and size at 6-foot, 214 pounds to be a star running back in the NFL, but no prospect is perfect. NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein broke down one of the most explosive and physical running backs in this years draft, and also compared him to Green Bay Packers bruiser AJ Dillon.

“Upright runner with outstanding body composition and consecutive seasons of impressive production for the Bruins. Charbonnet is a bit of a long-strider with slightly below average foot quickness. He is much more effective when allowed to open up and build downhill momentum. He can slip tackles in the open field but lacks the first-level wiggle to get too cute,” Zierlein said. “He’s inconsistent in processing defensive fronts quickly but can be a hammer into and through contact when he has a clear point of entry. Charbonnet is a talented third-down option as both a blocker and pass-catcher. He could be viewed as a Day 2 value with three-down potential.”