In the end, the need to replace both Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet may have forced John Schneider's hand. The Seattle Seahawks’ general manager chose Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price with the final pick of the first round in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Had Charbonnet not been injured, perhaps Schneider would have approached his board differently. But with Walker now in Kansas City and Charbonnet’s early-season health at least somewhat questionable, the Seahawks made sure they got the consensus second-best back available this year.
Price does not have Walker’s speed or explosiveness, but he is a quality runner with excellent vision and strong contact balance who will produce for Brian Fleury’s offense.
Seattle Seahawks should rebuild their defensive backfield in the second round of the draft
Now that the first pick is in, where will Schneider look in round two? He currently holds the final pick in the round, number 64 overall. He will have a lot of options, but one area and maybe one player seem like an excellent fit.
Seattle passed up several promising cornerbacks to select Price. Avieon Terrell, Colton Hood, and Brandon Cisse are all still on the board, as is Jermod McCoy, a surefire first-round pick until concerns about his knee caused him to drop. None figure to be available by Seattle’s next pick, with the possible exception of McCoy, depending on how each team gauges his medical risk.
Does Seattle need a cornerback? Maybe not. The fact is, now that the running back situation has been calmed, Seattle doesn’t absolutely need any single position. However, getting a reliable cornerback would help a great deal.
Not only would it provide depth, but having someone with both proven skills and a good balance of smarts and aggressiveness – especially someone who is able to play on the perimeter – would allow Mike Macdonald and Aden Durde to continue taking full advantage of their sensationally versatile defensive backs Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori.
D’Angleo Ponds, of the national champion Indiana Hoosiers, is just the player for the Dark Side secondary.
Scouts have been leery of Ponds due to his relative lack of size. But it is important to distinguish between small and short when assessing his game. D’Angelo Ponds may only stand 5’9”, but he is not a small player. He is tough and solid, and an exceptional athlete to boot.
Ponds has excellent speed, and he makes up for his shorter stature with elite leaping ability. More importantly, despite that lack of length, he has proven to be a capable perimeter zone defender, which is what Seattle will deploy much of the time.
Ponds does not back down from bigger receivers or backs in the flat. He often manhandles players who outweigh him by 25 pounds. He may not be able to get away with that as easily in the pros, but the aggressiveness will not diminish. He will challenge runners on the edge and go stride for stride with receivers downfield.
Crucially, he will tackle, which is vital for any zone-reliant coverage scheme.
This is a good year for mid-range cornerbacks, and John Schneider will have other options. Perhaps even Jermod McCoy will continue his fall. If he does, Schneider and his team would have to think long and hard about how much risk they are willing to assume related to his health.
But round two is not the place to gamble. Not when a very good, very reliable performer like D’Angelo Ponds is sitting there. As Seattle begins its title defense in 2026, who better than the college champion from 2025 to help with the journey?
Add us as a preferred source on Google