The Seattle Seahawks have a long history of workhorse running backs leading the way for the offense. With Kenneth Walker III gone, they hope that Notre Dame rookie Jadarian Price can carry the torch and keep the tradition going.
Price has the makings of a superstar, and while his draft selection was somewhat polarizing at the time, he should have more than enough opportunities to silence the critics right out of the gate. Conversely, his arrival has also opened the door for some superlatives.
Price turned some heads at minicamp, including Brock Huard's. Talking on Seattle Sports, the former quarterback had some high praise for the first-round pick, going as far as to compare him to Shaun Alexander.
The Seattle Seahawks must let Jadarian Price earn his stripes
“He is that big in the upper body. But there’s just something, and I saw this on his tape, and I wanted to see it in person, there’s just some of the way he walks and moves. There’s some Shaun Alexander to him,” Huard said.
Of course, that's what everyone wants to hear about any Seahawks running back. Alexander had five consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards, and he exploded for a career-best 1,880 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2005 to run away with MVP honors. Overall, he left Seattle with 2,176 carries for 9,429 yards and scored 112 touchdowns in 119 games.
Those are some lofty expectations to live up to, and that has been a recurrent mistake. Seahawks fans shouldn't expect Price to be the next Kenneth Walker III, the next Shaun Alexander, or the next anybody. They should want him to be the first Jadarian Price.
The game has changed a lot since Alexander played for the Seahawks. Unlike Price, he wasn't much of a pass catcher, and he wasn't always eager to block. He was great in his own way, and the Seahawks should expect Price to excel with his own skills -- not someone else's.
Barring a shocking turn of events, the Seahawks will rally behind Price early and often. He has to work on some ball-security issues, but if he doesn't put the rock in the ground, he could be an Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate.
That said, there's simply no point in comparing him to another player. Projections and NFL comps are just references, and he'll have to walk his own path and earn his own stripes in the league.
He might have a similar body type, and it certainly wouldn't hurt him to watch some of his tape or incorporate some of his moves, especially near the end zone. Still, these comments and comparisons have rarely helped a young player looking to make a name for himself.
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