If the Seattle Seahawks are to have a real shot at defending their Super Bowl trophy, they will need big-time contributions from several newcomers. None may be bigger than their top draft pick in 2026, Jadarian Price. That should not come as much of a surprise. That type of burden often falls on top picks.
Price’s bar may be set higher than most rookies because he would appear to be replacing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in the backfield. Another key veteran running back, Zach Charbonnet, may be slowed as he recovers from a serious knee injury suffered late last year.
The Seahawks have other runners, but the thought has been from draft day that Price is the player they want to see as their lead back. It is still far too early to tell how likely it is that he will provide Walker/Charbonnet-style production. But the challenge is obvious, and the barometer that will determine his success is also apparent.
Jadarian Price’s value to the Seattle Seahawks' offense hinges on one main factor
I wouldn’t be overly concerned about any early scuttlebutt coming from Seahawks’ camp. Every so often, early indications do in fact prove accurate. But usually, they are meaningless. So the fact that the veteran George Holani had a fair bit of work with the first-team offense during the Seahawks’ minicamp probably doesn’t mean very much.
Seattle clearly likes Holani. He made the practice squad as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and has worked his way up to a spot on the main roster. He is a hard runner, a fine blocker, and a special teams stud. All that said, he is not likely to be the lead back on a championship contender.
Holani simply is not an explosive runner. He can be productive, but he does not have the speed or burst to truly scare a defense. Nor does free agent Emanuel Wilson. Even when healthy, Charbonnet is not that type of runner. In 2025, Kenneth Walker provided that for the Seahawks. Jadarian Price is now the closest thing they have to Walker.
But he is a different type of runner.
You cannot reduce a running back to a series of numbers – weight, speed, burst. General managers who rely too heavily on metrics are doomed to fail. Skills that cannot be measured, such as vision, timing, and toughness, will always matter as much or more than a time in the 40. But those numbers do matter to a degree.
Here’s the most concerning number for Jadarian Price. 1.61.
That’s his time in the first ten yards of the 40-yard dash. The five running backs who received All-Pro honors in 2025 ranged from 1.51 (Devon Achane) to 1.54 (James Cook). If the split between 1.54 and 1.61 doesn’t seem big, you should watch how it plays out in a game.
That immediate speed is vital in hitting holes, turning corners, and bouncing plays outside. It is something Walker excelled at last season for the Seahawks.
Walker, by the way, has an elite 1.49 in his first ten yards.
The last time a Super Bowl champion had a lead runner with a pedestrian 1.61 time was Philadelphia in 2017. The back was the 250-pound bruiser LaGarrette Blount, who also led the backfield in New England the previous season.
So can the Seahawks win with Jadarian Price as their lead back? Of course they can. He may have all those other attributes – vision, timing, toughness – that will more than make up for a lack of elite early speed. We simply don’t know yet.
His college sample size is limited, and he was typically playing behind a very good offensive line and against variable opponents. In the pros, every defender will be big and fast.
So here’s what I’ll be looking for when Price gets to play actual games in the preseason and then early in the regular season. Is he fast enough to get through holes, or does he get swallowed up? Does he have the short area burst to bounce plays outside, or does an edge player wrap him up before he can turn the corner?
Walker was essential to the offense last year because he succeeded in those areas. He also had the long speed ( a 4.38 40-time) to turn such plays into big gains.
I’m not concerned about whether Price can outrun a cornerback and take it to the house from 50 yards out. I am far more interested in seeing if he can elude a linebacker in the hole and turn two yards into seven. If he proves he can do that, the Seahawks offense becomes far more dangerous. The linebackers and safeties will lose a half step. They will not be able to attack the line at will.
Jadarian Price does not need to be the next Kenneth Walker III. He just needs to be the type of back who can keep opposing defenders on their heels the way Walker did in 2025. He does not appear to have that early speed, but that isn't the only tool in a runner's arsenal.
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