After Seahawks' trade plans 'fell apart,' drafting Jadarian Price was a no-brainer

AFC EastBillsDolphinsJetsPatriotsAFC NorthBengalsBrownsRavensSteelersAFC SouthColtsJaguarsTexansTitansAFC WestBroncosChargersChiefsRaidersNFC EastCommandersCowboysEaglesGiantsNFC NorthBearsLionsPackersVikingsNFC SouthBuccaneersFalconsPanthersSaintsNFC West49ersCardinalsRamsSeahawksScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyNFL OddsNFL PicksNFL DraftPodcastsScoop City NewsletterNFL Draft UpdatesThe BeastConsensus RankingsTop 300 Rankings7-Round Draft Order2026 NFL Draft Jadarian Price should step in as the Seahawks' starting running back as a rookie. Justin Casterline / Getty Images Share articleRENTON, Wash. — As the 2026 NFL Draft moved along Thursday night, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider expected to trade out of the No. 32 pick. “We thought we had some opportunities for a minute,” Schneider said during a news conference beside coach Mike Macdonald at team headquarters. “They fell apart. A lot of trading going on right ahead of us.” Five of the final seven picks in the first round were traded. The Buffalo Bills began with pick No. 26 and traded three times before winding up with pick No. 35. The San Francisco 49ers originally had pick No. 27, then traded twice and now sit at pick No. 33, the first selection of the second round. All that action forced Schneider to make a decision when the team was on the clock. Taking Jadarian Price was a no-brainer. “He stood alone,” Schneider said. “Great player. The person is outstanding. He’s a Seahawk.” At Notre Dame, Price shared a backfield with Jeremiyah Love, who was selected No. 3 by the Arizona Cardinals. Price’s selection marked the first time in the common draft era (since 1967) that the first two running backs selected came from the same school. Price logged just 113 carries in 2025 while Love was a unanimous All-American, Doak Walker Award winner and Heisman Trophy finalist. In scouting Price, the Seahawks’ focus was on what the 22-year-old did with the opportunities he had. They saw a player who delivered a run of at least 12 yards on nearly 16 percent of his carries and had eight carries of at least 20 yards, including touchdowns of 58 and 49 yards. “The biggest thing was take advantage of every single opportunity,” Price said on a conference call after his selection. “That’s what I’ve been doing my whole life since I was a kid in peewee: just take advantage of all my opportunities. That’s what I did (at Notre Dame).” Price rushed for just 674 yards last year but found the end zone 11 times. “One of his super talents is his ability to cut back and then crease it,” Schneider said. “He has home run speed. He has a lot of explosive runs. He’s returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in his career; two this year. That’s such a unique feel.” Price’s superpower should be on full display in Seattle’s wide-zone run scheme, which he described as his “bread and butter.” “What I can do in the backfield and also protecting the quarterback and catching out of the backfield is phenomenal,” Price said. “But also, the stretch game, outside zone, that’s my bread and butter, being able to make one, decisive move and get vertical.” Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet helped the Seahawks earn the No. 1 seed and win the Super Bowl using those same traits in this scheme. Now, with Walker in Kansas City and Charbonnet recovering from a torn ACL, it’s Price’s turn. “There’s nothing better than a smooth cutback when the linemen (do) their job, and all you’ve got to do is make a second-level guy miss,” Price said. “A cutback, I think that’s the best feeling right there. Or a seam through the A-gap. I think that’s the best thing, for sure.” Seattle re-signed wide receiver and return specialist Rashid Shaheed to a three-year, $51 million contract. The team is set at kickoff and punt return as long as Shaheed is healthy. But Price averaged 36.1 yards per kick return on 22 attempts, so not at least having him in the mix there would be a disservice. “We’re going to train him (as a kickoff returner), and we’ll take it from there,” Macdonald said. “That’s probably all I know right now.” Schneider played running back growing up, and when he became a scout, it was the position he knew best. The best trade he’s ever made as Seattle’s decision maker came in his first year, when he picked up Marshawn Lynch from the Bills. Lynch and Chris Carson are the only running backs Schneider has signed to multiyear contract extensions. Schneider loves running backs, but he’s far more likely to invest premium draft capital than cash out on a second or third contract for a player at that position. Price is the second back Schneider has drafted in the first round (Rashaad Penny, 2018). This is the third time in five years Seattle has used either a first- or second-round pick at the position. It is fair to quibble over positional value, but from Seattle’s perspective, the Price selection fills the only true hole on the roster, and it’s fair to expect he can contribute immediately. Price also doesn’t have a ton of tread on his tires because of his time behind Love. He still must earn his stripes between now and the season opener, but it’s safe to assume that, barring injury, he will be Seattle’s starting running back in Week 1. “It was important,” Schneider said of drafting a running back, whether Price or someone else. “We weren’t going to completely force it, but it was important.” Price caught just six passes for 87 yards and two scores in 2025. But he was only targeted seven times. Similar to Walker, who wasn’t much of a receiving threat in college either, Price’s lack of receiving stats might be less about talent and more about usage. Schneider also said Price has actively worked on becoming an effective pass catcher. “I’m very good friends with his agent, and his agent went to him a couple years ago and was like, ‘Hey, you need to improve in the passing game,’” Schneider said. “So, he would listen to him. (He) went and got with the receivers’ group and worked with those guys, the receivers coach, too.” Said Price: “That was the biggest thing at (the) combine and pro day was my ability to catch the ball out of the backfield because I didn’t show that as much on film. But they saw what I could do, they saw my route running got smoother at the pro day. My knowledge of the game, whether it’s man (coverage), zone, I showed what I can do at the pro day as far as passing.” Seattle has just three picks remaining: Nos. 64, 96 and 188. Schneider and his staff will almost certainly work the phones toward the back end of the second and third rounds to see if they can acquire more picks while remaining in position to select one of the top remaining players on their board. On Thursday, Schneider thought the Seahawks would be able to trade back and still acquire Price. “But sometimes these things just don’t work out,” Schneider said. In a way, things still worked out, because they acquired a player who will likely make them better in 2026. “Something to get excited about,” Macdonald said. “You love talking to (him), and you can envision him just sticking out here. You can feel him in the building and feel like he’s one of us.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms