Daniel Jeremiah: Why draft is set up for Seahawks to take RB Price

NFL Network’s lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah made headlines this week with a surprisingly declarative statement about the Seattle Seahawks’ pick in the first round next Thursday.

Who draft experts predict Seattle Seahawks to take at No. 32

Asked on an appearance Monday on The Joel Klatt Show about the draft ceiling and floor for Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price, he left essentially no wiggle room for Price’s landing spot.

“The ceiling, I’ll go Seattle, pick 32. And then the floor? I’ll go Seattle, 32,” Jeremiah said.

More: The pick for Seahawks at No. 32 seems obvious to draft analyst

Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk had the opportunity Thursday morning to get more details from Jeremiah on his statement about Price, and while he made it clear that his answer was a bit “tongue-in-cheek,” there’s still real logic behind it.

“If you’re going to say, where does he fit and where are the guardrails of where he fits, I’m like, well, there’s no better fit than Seattle. And so that’s why I was kind of having some fun with that,” Jeremiah said.

The Seahawks lost Super Bowl MVP and lead running back Kenneth Walker III to the Kansas City Chiefs last month in free agency, leaving a big need in a backfield that was heavily relied upon in their run to a title. Seattle did sign former Packers running back Emanuel Wilson in free agency, but with Zach Charbonnet expected to miss at least a chunk of the 2026 season due to recovering from a torn ACL suffered in the playoffs, the team still doesn’t have an obvious choice to lead the run game.

Jeremiah said there’s probably a more preferable way for the Seahawks to get Price without getting him at No. 32.

“I think obviously they’d love to trade back (from the No. 32 pick), and if you could trade back and scoop him up and then get some other assets as well, it would make a lot of sense,” he said.

Normally, teams can find productive backs outside of the first round of the draft, but the 2026 class is a different case, according to Jeremiah. As for the Seahawks’ other needs, chiefly edge players and cornerbacks, they may be able to address one of them with their No. 64 overall pick easier than they could running back.

“I know they’ve been able to find running backs (later than the first round in the draft), and I would agree in most years I’d have the utmost confidence they can pluck one in the third, fourth round and be good to go,” Jeremiah said. “But I was talking to a GM the other day, (and) when I pulled the numbers, I believe it’s 21 running backs get picked over the last five years on average. This general manager, on their front board – which means their draftable players – they had eight (running backs in he 2026 draft class).

“I’d much rather look at the defensive ends and corners at 64 than I would the running backs. And that’s crazy to say, because nine out of 10 drafts, that’s the opposite. You’d be like, look, we’re going to find a running back in the fourth, fifth round. Like, every year you can find one of those guys. It’s just one of those weird years where they just aren’t there.”

Hear the full Brock and Salk conversation with NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah in the podcast at this link or in the player below. Catch Brock and Salk from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.

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