A Seahawks draft pick you can expect to make immediate impact

Even though the Seattle Seahawks are the reigning Super Bowl champions, they went into the 2026 NFL Draft in need of finding replacements at a few key positions.

They addressed the most obvious need in the first round, taking Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price with the No. 32 overall pick.

One big question remains for Seahawks after NFL Draft

Price will likely make the most immediate impact for the Seahawks this season, as Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Bryan Walters said Monday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. But there’s another pick the Hawks made who could be in a big role right out of the gate as a replacement of a departed player: cornerback Julian Neal, who Seattle picked in the third round Friday night out of Arkansas.

“They were thin going in at this position,” Walters said of the Seahawks’ status at cornerback. “You didn’t have a ton of competition. You knew it was Josh Jobe (at one starting cornerback spot), you knew Devon Witherspoon – after that, it’s wide open. Nehemiah Pritchett, a guy who’s been there. You have Noah (Igbinoghene), the guy they signed in free agency.

“And then there’s Julian Neal, a guy that you knew this Seahawks team fell in love with right away, right when they met him. He was on their board. They knew when they could get him, which hats off to (Seahawks general manager) John Schneider not taking him in the second round. They knew he would fall to the third round, and they got their guy.”

Bump: Seahawks get great ‘fit’ in cornerback Julian Neal

The addition of Neal comes just over a month after the Seahawks saw former Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen leave in free agency to the Philadelphia Eagles. While Woolen had his moments in a Seahawks uniform, he could be a source of frustration for fans due to inconsistent play and times where he cost Seattle by losing control of his emotions – most notably with a taunting penalty in the NFC Championship in January that was nearly disastrous for the Hawks.

Walters called the 6-foot-1, 203-pound Neal “the perfect replacement” for Woolen.

“Maybe not as fast, but way more physical,” Walters said. “Going to go up, going to stop the run, going to blow up some screen plays. And you watch this guy’s tape, he can shed some blocks. He’s a corner that wants to tackle and wants to hit the running back in the backfield. He uses his long arms, throws guys off of him, and he wants to hit. So I think you’re going to see a lot of Julian Neal, especially as you fall in love with him throughout training camp, throughout the preseason.”

Ball skills on full display. 🔥 @J12_neal pic.twitter.com/Gyr4aythiK

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 25, 2026

With that skillset, Neal could be a better fit in head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense than Woolen was.

“The more I hear you say that, the more I am just struck by how different that is than Riq Woolen,” Mike Salk responded. “… This guy’s got all the different attributes that Riq maybe didn’t have.”

Catch Brock and Salk live from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.

Seattle Seahawks NFL Draft coverage

• Why Jadarian Price passed up more money to stay at Notre Dame
• Who Seahawks’ NFC West rivals picked in NFL Draft
• Where Seahawks’ draft picks could fit on the depth chart
• What experts are saying about the Seahawks’ draft class
• Seattle Seahawks 2026 NFL Draft Breakdown: All 8 picks

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