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(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The Seattle Seahawks had a major concern at the running back position with the departure of Kenneth Walker III in free agency, and Zach Charbonnet is recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered in the team’s playoff run in January.

As a result, many analysts were expecting the Seahawks to address the need for a running back at the 2026 NFL Draft, and they did so with the No. 32 pick, selecting former Notre Dame Fighting Irish star Jadarian Price.

After making the pick, Seahawks general manager John Schneider spoke with the media and shared his thoughts on the player and why the decision made sense for the team.

“Great player, great person,” Schneider said on April 23. “We thought we had some opportunities for a minute. It fell apart. There’s a lot of trading going on there right ahead of us. But he kind of stood alone. Great player.

“The person’s outstanding, the competitor. He’s a Seahawk. It’s really cool. And we were actually concerned that people were going to come ahead of us because it felt like it was just so out there in terms of mock drafts and what have you.”

Last season at Notre Dame, Price earned a 78.6 overall PFF grade. Moreover, his PFF rushing grade of 79.9 ranked 157th among 406 qualified running backs. He carried the ball 113 times for 674 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Price averaged 6.0 yards per attempt on the ground.

Price forced 32 missed tackles as a runner and averaged 3.9 yards after contact per attempt. As a receiver, he caught six passes on seven targets for 87 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Shaun Alexander Wants First Round Pick to Fit Into Seattle’s Culture

It will be interesting to see whether Price fits the Seahawks’ culture, which the team has built under head coach Mike Macdonald. Moreover, for former Seahawks star Shaun Alexander, that’s what’s most important about the first-round selection.

“My No. 1 thought for a first-rounder would be to get the guy that fits well in the culture, and then go get the most talented guy that fits the culture,“ Alexander said during an April 22 appearance on Mad Dog Radio.

“Because if it’s a running back, if it’s a safety, if it’s another D-lineman, another O-lineman, just go get talent that fits the culture, because he’ll get in there and he’ll work his tail off.

“You’ve got a bunch of hardworking Seahawks out there that are putting that thing down. So get the guy that has the talent, but also has the mindset for the Seahawks culture.”

Seahawks Were Urged to Take Jadarian Price

Before the Seahawks selected Price, NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah stated that Seattle should go after a running back in Round 1, and Price would be the right draft prospect for them, which is probably why the team took him.

“If you don’t get on the Jadarian Price train, I’m not feeling great about you having a running back you think could start next year,“ Jeremiah said in an April 13 video from “The Joel Klatt Show.” “I think this is a two-starting-running-back draft.

“Now, we always will get some guys who will surprise us and be solid players, but to me, it is not a weakness in this draft. I’m looking at him. I will put the ceiling, I’ll go Seattle pick 32. And then the floor, I’ll go Seattle 32. How do they not take him? They don’t have a starting running back.”