SEATTLE — The ultimate irony of Chris Carson is that the very quality that made him an epic Seahawk is the same one that almost certainly contributed to the end of his NFL career.
Namely, the sheer physicality that first captured Pete Carroll's affection when watching film of Oklahoma State. It sometimes seemed Carson was just as interested in inflicting damage to the would-be tackler as in gaining yards — just the sort of attack mentality that Carroll had been seeking in a Seahawks running back since the master, Marshawn Lynch, had sent Beast Mode into retirement.
And so Carroll crossed his fingers and hoped Carson would still be there in the seventh round, and celebrated when he was — the fifth-from-the-last pick in the entire 2017 draft, No. 249 out of 253. Twenty-eight running backs were taken ahead of him, fueling Carson's desire to show he belonged right with the likes of Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon. And for a glorious stretch, in 2018 and 2019, when Carson rushed for 2,381 yards and 16 touchdowns, he moved into their echelon.
