Seahawks Draft: Analyst’s late-round sleeper at RB

There will be plenty of attention on what the Seattle Seahawks do at running back in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Schneider details where Seattle Seahawks are at in prep for draft

Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III’s exit in free agency and Zach Charbonnet’s ACL injury the playoffs have made running back one of the few needs on the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks roster in the eyes of many. The expectation is they could shore up the position in the draft.

Many experts have tabbed the Seahawks to take Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price as high as the first round, but there’s no guarantee they will go after running back early on.

If the Seahawks do wait until the later rounds, where they have only a sixth-round pick but could trade for more, there’s a sleeper pick NFL Draft analyst Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic has his eyes on this year.

“The biggest sleeper for me is Eli Heidenreich from Navy, who is actually Navy’s all-time leading receiver,” Baumgardner told Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Friday.

Heidenreich, who measures in a 6-foot and 198 pounds, may not be a candidate to be an every-down back as he’s viewed as running back/wide receiver hybrid by many. He was a versatile playmaker as a slotback in Navy’s Wing-T offense, piling up 1,440 yards and nine TDs from scrimmage this past season. His biggest impact came as a receiver where totaled 941 yards and six TDs while averaging 18.5 yards per catch on his way to earning second-team All-American Athletic Conference honors as a wide receiver. He also rushed for 499 yards and three touchdowns on 77 carries, good for a 6.5-yard average.

In 38 games over three seasons with Navy, Heidenreich amassed 3,151 yards and 23 TDs from scrimmage. He rushed for 1,157 yards and seven TDs on 6.5 yards per carry, and had 1,994 yards and 16 TDs on 109 receptions.

HISTORY FOR HEIDENREICH 🔥

Eli Heidenreich is the first player in Navy program history with 200+ Rec. Yds in a game! He also breaks the record for most career Rec. TD in Navy histoy with 14 👏 pic.twitter.com/h7jevU9sO5

— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) October 4, 2025

At the combine, Heidenrech finished fourth among running backs with a time of 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash, tied for third with a 1.55-second 10-yard split and sixth with a 35 1/2-inch vertical jump.

NFL.com has Hedienreich ranked a sixth-round prospect. He’s the 17th-ranked running back and 237th overall prospect on ESPN’s Big Board.

“The routes he runs out of the backfield are as good as you will see anywhere,” Baumgardner said. “I don’t know if he gets drafted, maybe late on Day 3. But I think we’ll hear from him at some point in the NFL.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player at the top of this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

Seattle Seahawks offseason coverage

• Brock’s Seahawks Draft Profile: Pitt hybrid LB/S Kyle Louis
• Brock: 3 Seattle Seahawks who can make a jump this offseason
• Daniel Jeremiah: 2 boom-or-bust draft prospects for Seattle Seahawks
• Brock’s Seattle Seahawks Draft Profile: Illinois edge Gabe Jacas
• Rost: New favorite emerges to be Seattle Seahawks’ first-round pick

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