After much speculation and deliberation in the post-Kenneth Walker III free agency aftermath, the Seattle Seahawks finally have their replacement, and boy, was it ever a surprise. The Seahawks, while expecting to draft a running back in the draft, did so a lot earlier than expected, but appear to have gotten their man.
Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price (who backed up standout rusher Jeremiyah Love) is headed to the Seahawks, and the excitement is already brewing as another explosive piece is added to an already explosive offense.
The Seahawks will now enter next season with a starting running back, which unfortunately pushes another further back on the depth chart who was hoping for his open window, but also offers a Seahawks star another weapon to bank on, as three winners (and one loser) emerge after round one of the draft.
Sam Darnold wins and Emanuel Wilson loses after the Seattle Seahawks select Jadarian Price
Winner: Sam Darnold (QB)
The weapons arsenal at Sam Darnold's disposal just got a lot better now that the Seahawks have drafted the Super Bowl-winning quarterback as a replacement threat, now that Walker has moved on.
Price wasn't the premier rusher at Notre Dame, but in the limited time he saw the field as Love's backup, he showed enough explosiveness, speed, and skill that he should fit right in with the Seahawks' offense.
Darnold is a winner here because down the stretch of the regular season, the playoffs, and the Super Bowl, he relied heavily on Walker and Zach Charbonett, and Walker especially turned up the heat. Darnold, while not an elite quarterback, is at his best when he has the right weapons around him. Now, he has not only his weapons downfield, but right behind him as well.
Winner: Brian Fleury (OC)
With former Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak now coaching the Las Vegas Raiders, Brian Fleury has stepped into the OC role in Seattle and was about to be trusted with making the Seahawks offense even better. Up until Thursday night, his running back options weren't set in stone and lacked reps and experience (Charbonett not included).
Price has zero NFL reps and zero experience, but Fleury does have a running back who may very well already be better than what the Seahawks had in Emanuel Wilson and George Holani, while Charbonett works back from an injury. Adding a threat like Price should make Fleury's job-scheming game plans a lot more flexible, and the fact that Price can catch the pass, too, is a bonus for Fleury.
Loser: Emanuel Wilson (RB)
Price being added to the Seahawks running back room doesn't exactly bode well for Emanuel Wilson, who signed in Seattle shortly after Walker left. Granted, the signing never solidified Wilson as Walker's absolute replacement, or the Seahawks' new No. 1 rusher, but for depth and training-camp-competition reasons.
That said, Price's addition just moved Wilson further back on the Seahawks depth chart behind Holani and Charbonett.
Once Charbonett returns, the Seahawks may return to their duel-rush attack with Price, or, should Price outright win the starting job, Charbonett would slide in as Seattle's No. 2, with Holani next, and Wilson last. Wilson’s place in Seattle just got a lot more murkier and with a lot less opportunity, most likely.
Winner: Mike Macdonald (HC)
Another coach to come out on top in the Price selection is the top dog, Mike Macdonald. Losing Kubiak was a hit, but Macdonald has a lot of confidence in Fleury as the next man up, and Macdonald has to be feeling pretty good that his new OC was just handed a new weapon. Macdonald loves to run the ball, and the Seahawks are all the better for it.
After Macdonald changed the way the Seahawks used their running backs midway through last year, their trajectory shifted for the better. Now, with Price available, Macdonald has every reason to go all in on his running back from day one as opposed to pressing the brakes until later in the season.
Having a rusher with Price's potential helps set up Macdonald for another great season, and an offense at his disposal that can be even more dangerous than the last.
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