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When the Seahawks selected Jadarian Price with the 32nd overall pick, they made their intentions clear.

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he 2026 NFL season is officially here. Now that the draft is over and teams have their camp rosters pretty much solidified, the focus turns onto preparing for the fall and proving that each team has what it takes to make a run at the Super Bowl. For some teams, the draft was all about finding the necessary pieces to make that happen while for others, it was about keeping the standards high. In the case of the San Francisco 49ers, a return to the playoffs after a one year absence was overshadowed by a big loss to their biggest rivals, Seattle Seahawks, in the NFC divisional playoffs.

Both teams enter this season eager to run the NFC West and the teams have such a big rivalry, that they each do whatever it takes to make sure they are not doing each other any favors. During the draft, the Seahawks selected running back Jadarian Price in the first round, presumably to fill the void left by Kenneth Walker’s departure. But now, it turns out that the Seahawks also picked Price when they did because they were worried that the 49ers would nab him first if they didn’t act fast.

Seahawks Worried the 49ers Were Going to Take Price

The Seahawks needed a running back after Walker left in free agency, so drafting Price was no surprise. But the 49ers also needed a running back and holding the No. 33 pick, drafting Price could have been in play if the Seahawks passed on him. But given how Price was high on the Seahawks’ wishlist and the fact that they did not want to help the 49ers, they wasted no time in making Price their first round selection.

“Five of the six spots immediately preceding Seattle’s pick at 32 changed hands amid a flurry of trades, including Tennessee moving up to 31,” ESPN’s Brady Henderson wrote. “That led to a few nervous minutes in the Seahawks’ draft room, with some fearing that the Titans — who were heavily linked to Love with the fourth pick — were jumping ahead of Seattle for Price. There was also concern that the 49ers might take him with the first pick of the second round; Seattle’s division rivals later drafted Indiana running back Kaelon Black in Round 3.”

The 49ers selection of Black drew criticism given how he had a late round draft grade. Meanwhile, the Seahawks got their top choice and stay young and cheap in their quest to win another Super Bowl.

Can Black Prove Himself?

Black was viewed as a day three or a possible undrafted free agent, but the 49ers had him very high on their draft board. A national champion with Indiana last season, Black was Indiana’s second leading rusher behind Roman Hemby and finished with 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns on 186 carries. Averaging well over five yards per carry, Black may not have been the featured back, but he allowed the Hoosiers to deploy a lethal two-headed monster in the backfield. And given how the 49ers want to lessen Christian McCaffrey’s workload, having a guy like Black with experience in high leverage moments is important.