The Seattle Seahawks entered the offseason with questions at running back after Kenneth Walker III left in free agency to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs. Meanwhile, Zach Charbonnet is still working his way back from a torn ACL suffered during the playoff run in January.
Because of that situation, many analysts expected Seattle to target the position in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, the team also made it clear they were interested in trading back to acquire more draft picks.
Nonetheless, the team ultimately decided to use the No. 32 overall pick, selecting former Notre Dame Fighting Irish standout Jadarian Price. During the April 24 edition of “The Richard Sherman Podcast,” former Seahawks star Richard Sherman shared his thoughts on the Price selection.
“I think it’s a great pick,” Sherman said. “They clearly see this as the heir apparent to K9 and their answer to a major offseason question about what they would do at running back after his departure. This move from the Seattle Seahawks makes that direction pretty clear.
“Charbonnet is still going to be in the mix, and they still have other players they feel good about, but this looks like their vision for the future. It’s a strong pick in a strong spot.
“Overall, I think it’s a great move for Seattle. It helps solidify an important position group, and they are going to continue leaning on running the ball, playing strong defense and sticking with the formula that brought them success last season. This pick only reinforces that approach.”
Seattle GM Explains Jadarian Price Pick at No. 32
After making the pick, Seahawks general manager John Schneider spoke with the media and shared his thoughts on the player and why the decision made sense for the team.
“Great player, great person,” Schneider said on April 23. “We thought we had some opportunities for a minute. It fell apart. There’s a lot of trading going on there right ahead of us. But he kind of stood alone. Great player.
“The person’s outstanding, the competitor. He’s a Seahawk. It’s really cool. And we were actually concerned that people were going to come ahead of us because it felt like it was just so out there in terms of mock drafts and what have you.”
Last season at Notre Dame, Price earned a 78.6 overall PFF grade. Moreover, his PFF rushing grade of 79.9 ranked 157th among 406 qualified running backs. He carried the ball 113 times for 674 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Price averaged 6.0 yards per attempt on the ground.
Price forced 32 missed tackles as a runner and averaged 3.9 yards after contact per attempt. As a receiver, he caught six passes on seven targets for 87 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Shaun Alexander Wants Draft Pick to Fit Seahawks Culture
It will be interesting to see whether Price fits the Seahawks’ culture, which the team has built under head coach Mike Macdonald. Moreover, for former Seahawks star Shaun Alexander, that’s what’s most important about the first-round selection.
“My No. 1 thought for a first-rounder would be to get the guy that fits well in the culture, and then go get the most talented guy that fits the culture, “ Alexander said during an April 22 appearance on Mad Dog Radio.
“Because if it’s a running back, if it’s a safety, if it’s another D-lineman, another O-lineman, just go get talent that fits the culture, because he’ll get in there and he’ll work his tail off.
“You’ve got a bunch of hardworking Seahawks out there that are putting that thing down. So get the guy that has the talent, but also has the mindset for the Seahawks culture.”
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