Things got a bit crazy before the Seattle Seahawks needed to make their first-round choice in the 2026 draft. Teams were trading with others, and it got messy. All those moves, though, lessened Seattle's chances of doing the same.
While Seattle almost certainly could have found a trade partner, though the return in the trade might not have been what general manager John Schneider would have wanted, the previous moves made the Seahawks' decision to stand pat more logical.
The day after the first round, general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald should be thinking of sending thank-you cards to other teams who traded with others before they could with Seattle because the Seahawks not moving landed them running back Jadarian Price. Price fills one of the few needs the team had.
Trades prior to pick 32 helped the Seattle Seahawks land Jadarian Price
Four-year starter Kenneth Walker III left in free agency and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. While Walker had some injury concerns during some of his time in the Pacific Northwest, he was healthy in his final year. That finished with him winning Super Bowl MVP.
Price will have to earn the starting spot, of course. Zach Charbonnet is still on the roster for at least one more season, but he will be trying to return from a torn ACL. His availability for the beginning of the season is unknown, whereas, with Walker leaving, Charbonnet would have likely been RB1.
With Walker gone and Charbonnet recovering, one might assume Price will be the starter in Week 1. The good part is that he plays a position where a player can make an immediate impact. The running back will need to perfect pass protection and prove he can catch passes out of the backfield, but he has the athleticism to do all that at an elite level.
Had the Seattle Seahawks traded back, Jadarian Price might have been gone before the team could fill the void left by Walker going to Kansas City. Maybe Seattle would have taken a cornerback or edge rusher, and while the team could use players at those spots, no need was greater in the long term than running back.
Because so many trades had happened before Seattle could choose, the decision to take Price was made easier. Almost certainly, Schneider and Macdonald won't regret the selection, and the running back could help make the offense into the kind that was good enough to win a championship this past season.
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