The Seattle Seahawks entered the 2026 NFL Draft in a privileged position. Even though they only had four picks, they didn't have a ton of roster holes to fill, so they could afford the luxury of finding the best fit rather than going with the best player available.
Even so, it was somewhat surprising to see them take Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price with the final pick of the first round. Most people expected them to trade down, and while Price was on their radar, he was projected to go in the mid-to-late second round.
As such, some claimed the Seahawks reached to get Jeremiyah Love's backup, as talented as he is. That's not what Bleacher Report's Moe Moton seems to think, though. In his latest column, he tabbed him as one of the seven most likely winners of the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Jadarian Price has a golden opportunity with the Seattle Seahawks
"Given the timeline of Charbonnet's injury and Walker's departure, Price could lead the Seahawks' new-look backfield in the opening week of the 2026 season. He'll compete with career backups Emanuel Wilson, George Holani, Kenny McIntosh, Velus Jones Jr. and Jacardia Wright for touches," wrote Moton.
Draft projections are just that -- projections. More often than not, players make experts, fans, and analysts look foolish, either because they fail to live up to the hype or because they end up outplaying their draft stock.
Price has the perfect opportunity to do the latter. He didn't get to shine that much in college because he was in Love's shadow, but he'll now get to run the show and lead a team of his own. Moreover, he'll fill in for another workhorse back with a similar skill set to Kenneth Walker III, and this team has always been successful running the ball, so he couldn't ask for a better position to be in.
Like all rookies, Price might hit a wall at some point. There will always be growing pains with young players, and expecting him to be a superstar right out of the gate might simply not be realistic. That said, he'll be in a position to have as much volume to make everyone forget all about draft projections and slots.
Yes, perhaps the Seahawks could've find a way to get him later, but it's hard to believe he would've been available at No. 64. This team was almost intact months after winning the Super Bowl, so general manager John Schneider clearly had some wiggle room to roll the dice and go for the guy he felt gave the team the best chance to succeed at the biggest position of need.
This class wasn't particularly deep at running back, and Price seemed to be the only guy with franchise back potential after Love. The Seahawks shouldn't have taken someone else just for the sake of it, and if they didn't trade out of the first round as expected, it must've been because there wasn't enough value.
At the end of the day, talent always finds a way to beat the odds, and Price is as talented as they come. He's finally getting the attention he deserves, and he might prove a ton of people wrong in 2026.
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