Draft Reaction: Seahawks’ pick of RB Price a merge of talent, need

For the second year in a row, the Seattle Seahawks made the pick many expected them to in the first round of the NFL Draft.

The defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks closed Day 1 of the draft by taking Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price at No 32. overall on Thursday.

Seahawks 2026 NFL Draft Tracker: Keep up with picks and trades

Former NFL players Brock Huard, Michael Bumpus and Dave Wyman shared their instant reaction to the Seahawks’ selection during Seattle Sports’ NFL Draft coverage.

Price was the player Bumpus wanted to see the Seahawks take. Bumpus pointed to the way Price fits the offense and the fact that his body received less wear and tear in college since he shared the workload with No. 3 overall pick Jeremiyah Love during his time with the Fighting Irish.

“Perfect for the zone. He’s real patient when it comes to pressing that B (gap), then he slides to the backside. He really gives the play side a chance, though. And just his lateral movement is crazy,” Bumpus said. “He’s got runs of 58 (yards), 40, 32 and a bunch more, can receive the ball out the backfield and saved his body playing behind the best football player in this draft in Love. I really like this pick. Made it simple, didn’t complicate this thing. You got four running backs in the stable now. Let’s go get it.”

The #Seahawks select Jadarian Price (RB, Notre Dame) with the 32nd overall pick in the 2026 #NFLDraft.

Let's hear YOUR thoughts, Hawks fans!! 🗣️👇 pic.twitter.com/96TIAdrHUD

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) April 24, 2026

Despite not being the feature back at Notre Dame, Price still rushed for 674 yards and 11 TDs while averaging 6.0 yards per carry. He added another 87 yards and two TDs on six receptions, plus two kickoff return TDs.

Wyman sees some shades of former Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III in Price and thinks his abilities in the return game are an additional benefit that can be useful to the team since opponents started kicking away from dangerous return man Rashid Shaheed last season.

“He’s got that quality like (Walker) where he can freeze the outside guys and then beat him to the edge,” Wyman said. “And then you look at some of the decisions he makes, and really it’s about how fast your mind works and how quickly you read blocks. Some of the inside zone runs that he had were phenomenal. He just reminded me a lot of (Walker).”

Running backs generally aren’t picked in the first round in the modern NFL, but it was the Seahawks’ clear biggest need heading into the event. However, Huard doesn’t see the selection of Price as purely being based on addressing a need.

“I think it was kind of, honestly, a merge that this is the best running back available that’s left, by far, in the draft, and it just so happens that we need some explosiveness, especially with (Zach Charbonnet) coming back from a knee injury,” Huard said.

Huard also pointed to Price’s high character and perseverance as factors that led to the Seahawks taking him. Price was a standout student on top of being a standout football player and while he was a teenager, he dealt with his mom going through a battle with breast cancer that required 16 rounds of chemotherapy.

One question about Price is whether or not he can be a workhorse back considering he was the No. 2 option behind Love at Notre Dame. Bumpus thinks he can be, but he doesn’t think that is the preferrable option either.

“If you look at the teams who really rush the football, unless you are a Derrick Henry, you got one of those special type of running backs, the league is going to a one-two combo because the shelf life is only three-to-four years in this league, honestly, at the running back spot. So, you want to save him.” Bumpus said. “Can he take 20, 25 carries? I think so, but I think what we learned last year, especially watching (Klint) Kubiak call plays, is that you mix it up and you put them in position to succeed, save some snaps, save some legs.”

More Seattle Seahawks and NFL Draft coverage

• Brock: Rams’ QB pick at No. 13 overall a gift to Seattle Seahawks
• Rams pick QB Stafford’s potential successor 13th overall
• NFC West: Cardinals pick RB Love 3rd overall in NFL Draft
• For 3rd straight year, an OL from Washington state goes in 1st round
• NFL Draft: Kubiak’s Raiders take QB Mendoza No. 1 overall

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