The 2026 NFL Draft is done!No more speculating who the Seattle Seahawks will be drafting, we now know! And Seahawk players are welcoming their new teammates! Grey Zabel went to his Instagram story after Jadarian Price was picked with the 32nd pick of the first round to welcome the rookie:
Zabel’s sentiment about Price fit’s the culture of the Seattle Seahawks: Trenches. Running the ball. Bullying the opposing teams. That first pick that the Seahawks made showed that commitment to that type of ball. The question, though, is does this pick fit the type of team and culture that Mike Macdonald wants to build here in Seattle? Do the other SEVEN picks? I will be deep diving into each pick, and see if they do match the type of player that Mike looks for, if they fit the culture of the Seahawks, and what role they could play on the team. First up: Price.
“I think he is more explosive than me, ya know, from his first step. He can break more tackles than me too,” Jeremiah Love said of his former Notre Dame running mate Price. Explosive. Break tackles. For Seahawk fans, I am sure this is bringing back memories of a certain Skittles loving running back: Marshawn Lynch. Funnily enough, their combine numbers are comparable. I cannot deny, there are some similarities. Lynch is 5’11” and played at 215lbs. Price is 5’11” and played at 210lbs in college. Lynch ran a 4.46-second 40 yard dash. Price ran a 4.49 second 40 yard dash. They also both are not afraid to put their head down, and break through tackles, as shown here in this run where Price looks an awful lot like Lynch:
They also have great contact balance, which means when they are tackled by a defender, they are able to stay upright and run through the contact. Emory Hunt noted in his Draft Guide that Price’s acceleration and balance brings an explosiveness that defenders may not expect from the runner. Just because you harken back memories of one of the greatest Seahawks of all time, however, does not mean you will fit in with the team. There needs to be more. Let’s first take a look and see if his play style will fit the wide-zone offensive scheme that offensive coordinator Brien Fleury will employ with the Seahawks. In a wide-zone scheme, a running back will generally read the line and hit the hole with one cut, usually aiming for the widest part of the offense where the offensive tackle or tight end are. Seattle employs mostly wide-zone concepts. In the video above where Notre Dame is playing Boise State, you can see Price reading the line of scrimmage, making a decisive move and attacking the hole the offensive line provided, and with great vision continued to run. Zone style offenses fits his running style, with Dane Brugler bringing up in Price’s draft profile on The Beast that Notre Dame’s OC, Mike Denbrock, utilized outside zone schemes. Price will be comfortable running in this scheme, which ranked 10th in 2025 for rushing yards per game (123.3) and rushing yards for the regular season (2096).
So, Price’s skillset seems to match the kind of running back the Seahawks and its fans love. Now let’s see if he fits the kind of running back that Mike likes. Over the last three drafts, the average Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of those players are 8.12, which is above average. Jadarian Price himself is 8.33, which is above the average that Mike looks for in his players. Now, as I explained in my article going over the potential first round picks, RAS scores are simply the first step in learning about the athletic ability of the player. You also have to look at the tape.
Though his testing numbers at the combine has his explosive ability as average, his tape and stats tell a different story. He had an explosive run rate of 21.2% which led all the running back in college in 2025, a missed tackle rate of 28%, and a yards after contact average of approximately four yards. His average game stats are also impressive. He averaged 6 yards per carry (NFL average 4.3 yards per carry), 10.8 yards per reception (NFL average approximately 10 yards per reception), and 36 yards per kick return (NFL average 26 yards per kick return). As you can see, Price is and elusive and explosive running back who athletically fits the kind of player that Mike looks for in his players. Does he fit the kind of character he looks for in his players?Price could have gone to another college and have been a starter. Love stated it himself. The question is, though, why did he stay? As Price told Brock and Salk, “I wanted to finish my degree, I wanted to come back and compete for a national championship and I wanted to prove to myself that I was just as good as the best running back and the best player in college football. I made that challenge to myself and I had to trust my gut, and look where we are now.”
He is “quiet by nature, but serious about the work,” as it was stated in The Beast. Another example of facing adversity is when he tore his Achilles the summer prior to his freshman year, and fought his way back to be able to play in 2023. Not only did he come back and play, he proved to his team and the league that he was one of the top running backs in the nation. Price is not the type of player to turn away from a challenge. He faces it head on to prove to himself he can overcome it. He is loyal to his team and teammates. That is the kind of high character that Mike looks for in his players.
In conclusion, Price is a hand-in-glove fit for the Seahawks. He fits the style of running back, the scheme, the athleticism, and character that Mike looks for in his players. He fits the culture that Mike is creating here in Seattle, and I all for it. He will be in full competition to that lead running back spot for the 2026 season, and could very well be our future franchise running back.
As Zabel said, go “RTDB big dog!”
