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The Seattle Seahawks addressed a major concern on their team in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft by selecting former Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jadarian Price with the No. 32 pick on April 23.

Kenneth Walker III left in free agency to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs, and Zach Charbonnet is still working his way back from a torn ACL suffered during the playoff run in January.

As a result, Seattle needed to invest a draft pick in a running back, and they did so right out of the gate. Now that Price is in the fold, ESPN’s Brady Henderson shared that he sees the Seahawks giving Price an important role right out of the gate.

“I believe them when they say that they’re high on what they’ve got, or what they had there before Price and [George] Holani,” Henderson said during an April 24 appearance on Seattle Sports. “They really feel like he can be a No. 2, and they’re obviously excited about Emanuel Wilson, the guy they signed in free agency.

“But they also signed him to a very inexpensive one-year contract. Even if you feel good about both of those guys as kind of the No. 2, you still need a No. 1. You need somebody to fill that co-No. 1 role, that role that Walker filled last season.

“This will be something of a jump for Price, but it’s not like he’s going from a backup to a bell cow. They’re not going to ask him to carry the ball 25-plus times a game, but I think they’re going to ask him to kind of slide into that Ken Walker III role and be that co-No. 1 guy.”

Richard Sherman Gets Blunt About Jadarian Price Pick

During the April 24 edition of “The Richard Sherman Podcast,” former Seahawks star Richard Sherman shared his thoughts on the Price selection.

“I think it’s a great pick,” Sherman said. “They clearly see this as the heir apparent to K9 and their answer to a major offseason question about what they would do at running back after his departure. This move from the Seattle Seahawks makes that direction pretty clear.

“Charbonnet is still going to be in the mix, and they still have other players they feel good about, but this looks like their vision for the future. It’s a strong pick in a strong spot.

“Overall, I think it’s a great move for Seattle. It helps solidify an important position group, and they are going to continue leaning on running the ball, playing strong defense and sticking with the formula that brought them success last season. This pick only reinforces that approach.”

Seahawks GM Explains Jadarian Price Selection in Round 1

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.”