No rookie that the Seattle Seahawks drafted is expected to make the sort of immediate impact that former Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price is. He is, after all, replacing a Super Bowl MVP, Kenneth Walker III, and filling a hole the Seahawks desperately had to fill, and can't start next season without an answer at the running back position.
Therefore, Price is expected to be Seattle's No. 1 starter in Week 1 when the Seahawks host the New England Patriots, whom they defeated in the Super Bowl a few short months ago. Price, who some believe is actually better than his college teammate, Jeremiyah Love, has some big shoes to fill in Seattle, but clearly, the Seahawks have all the faith they need.
Since Price's expectations are huge, and as a rookie, he'll get plenty of touches, the Offensive Rookie of the Year attached to Price's name doesn't sound so far-fetched. In fact, it's a fair prediction according to one NFL writer, who believes the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award will come down to Price and Tennessee Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate.
NFL senior writer Albert Breer favors Seattle Seahawks' Jadarian Price in Offensive Rookie of the Year prediction
At first glance, Love, Price's former Fighting Irish teammate, would be the expected Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was the highest offensive draft pick at No. 3 (not including Fernando Mendoza going at No. 1 at quarterback), and he's also considered the best running back to go in this year's draft (again, some argue in Price's favor).
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer says otherwise. Breer believes the situations for Love and Price differ with their respective teams, the Cardinals and Seahawks, and leans toward Price having the more impressive season, naming him an Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite alongside Titans rookie Tate, as he recently wrote in his latest NFL Mailbag edition.
"So on offense, give me Love’s Notre Dame teammate, Jadarian Price, in Seattle, and Carnell Tate, who’s already turning heads in Tennessee," Breer writes. "I think both will have a ton of opportunities and assimilate quickly, and those two elements are always key in rookie of the year races."
Breer siding with Price over Love makes sense; Price is with the better team and should be expected to have more success. Love, however, is with a team in a rebuild, and success early on may not come so easily. As for Tate in Tennessee, the Titans aren't expected to run the tables next season, either, much like the Cardinals.
That said, Tate's position at wide receiver isn't one the Titans are trying to build around, which opens him up for a much freer game of football, as he will likely be their go-to target for Cam Ward to throw to. Love's situation could look a lot different, at least in his rookie year.
So, the Offensive Rookie of the Year door for Price and Tate is completely valid, and for the Seahawks, given their expected plan for Price from the beginning, he will have an open road ahead of him and all the opportunity in the world to contend for the award.
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