With teams trading all over the place at the bottom of the first round, the Seahawks ended up without a chair. So, stuck at 32, they drafted Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price — the guy they said “stood alone” on their board.
John Schneider said he thought they were going to move down, but “it fell apart” as the Jets and Tennessee moved ahead of them in a flurry of trades at the bottom of the round.
“I did honestly think we were going to be able to move there for a minute — and still maybe have a shot at him,” Schneider said. “But sometimes these things just don’t work out.”
Price had been the most mocked guy at 32, according to Mock Draft Database. The Hawks clearly were set on replacing Kenneth Walker III.
Schneider said he was afraid other teams might be trying to jump over them to draft Price because he had been mocked to them so much.
Price was a backup to No. 3 overall pick Jeremiyah Love at Notre Dame. The Hawks probably like the combination of talent (4.49 40, 6 yards per carry) and low mileage (just 280 carries in college).
Mike Macdonald said Price will not be anointed No. 1, but he will have “ample opportunity to earn a bunch of carries and a bunch of touches.”
Looking at previous first-round running backs for Seattle, the Hawks have to hope Price is more like Shaun Alexander and nothing like the always injured Rashaad Penny.
Dane Brugler’s quick take: “Price isn’t a proven workhorse, but he has NFL starting-caliber talent, with his natural instincts and contact balance. Ball-security issues and a lack of pass-catching production will be areas he needs to address during the draft process.”
Daniel Jeremiah’s analysis: “Price is a compact running back with terrific vision and balance. He split carries with Jeremiyah Love in Notre Dame’s offense. Price is a patient runner, letting blocks develop before bursting through the line of scrimmage. He runs low to the ground and has supreme contact balance. He is adept at stepping through low tackles and can make defenders miss in space. Price has reliable hands, but Love handled the bulk of the pass-catching duties out of the backfield. In pass protection, Price is quick to identify blitzers and closes the distance before launching into the defender. He has suffered fumble issues (three inside the opposition’s 10-yard line in 2025). He provides home run ability as a kickoff returner, taking two for touchdowns in 2025. Overall, Price is overshadowed by his former teammate (Love), but the Notre Dame product has NFL-starter traits.”
Rams reach for Simpson
The Rams pulled a bit of a stunner by using the 13th pick on Alabama QB Ty Simpson.
They were known to really like him — GM Les Snead reportedly is friends with Simpson’s dad — but they likely were not going to be able to get him lower in the first round (they had traded their natural pick at 29 to Kansas City for Trent McDuffie). So they reached huge for him at 13.
He was Daniel Jeremiah’s 36th player and Dane Brugler’s 42nd.
The Rams will try to train up Simpson to replace Matthew Stafford in the next year or two — whenever the 38-year-old calls it quits. The Rams reportedly called Stafford to inform him of this pick ahead of time.
This nixes any idea of Simpson being the bait for Seattle to move down from 32. Arizona was the team mentioned most in that scenario. So the Rams messed with a couple of NFC West teams with this pick.
Players with so few college starts (just 15 for Simpson) typically fail in the NFL. But Simpson is going to an offensive genius, Sean McVay, and it will just come down to whether McVay can develop such an inexperienced QB.
Simpson still will have to go against Mike Macdonald’s defense for years — and that won’t be fun for him even if he does develop into an NFL starter.
Check out Brock Huard’s reaction to the Rams’ big reach for Simpson:
Malachi, Johnson go in first
After a move down from 20 in a trade with the Eagles, Dallas picked UCF pass rusher Malachi Lawrence — a guy we really liked for the Seahawks.
As the draft approached over the past week, it seemed like he could go in the first round. The Cowboys and 49ers were prime destinations.
So scratch one speed rusher from Seattle’s list.
Miami moved up to 27 from 30 in a deal with the 49ers and took the corner many of us liked best for Seattle, San Diego State’s Chris Johnson.
Other key picks
The draft started with Klint Kubiak’s new team doing as expected and picking Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza.
It will be interesting to see whether he or Kirk Cousins is the Raiders QB getting sacked by the Seahawks next season.
At 3, Arizona selected Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love — setting up the Notre Dame double dip at running back. The last time two running backs from the same school were drafted in the first round together was in 2008, when Arkansas’ Darren McFadden was taken fourth and Felix Jones went 22nd. In 2005, Auburn’s Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams were both drafted in the top five.
“I think it’s a pretty cool story that two guys were drafted in the first round from the same school,” Schneider said.
At 5, the Giants added Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese — a move that would seem to make another No. 5 pick for the team expendable.
Earlier this week, Ian Rapoport reported that Kayvon Thibodeaux was “considered less likely” to be traded. And Adam Schefter apparently reported after the Reese pick that the Giants still do not intend to move Deaux.
But the Giants are loaded at pass rusher, with Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and now Reese. So it’s hard to see Deaux sticking around.
The Hawks were rumored to have called about him, but it seems unlikely they would make any move before the first two days of the draft — if at all.
Meanwhile, the Hawks play the Giants next season, and they will have their hands full with those pass rushers.
The Giants picked again at 10, adding Miami OT Francis Mauigoa to help protect QB Jaxson Dart.
The sixth and seven picks were also made by 2026 opponents of the Hawks. Kansas City moved up from 9 to fill a hole at cornerback with LSU’s Mansoor Delane replacing the traded Trent McDuffie. Dan Quinn’s Commanders picked Ohio State LB Sonny Styles.
At 20, the Eagles drafted USC receiver Makai Lemon. The Eagles traded with Dallas to move up from 23 and get a guy who seemingly cements the departure of A.J. Brown, who is expected to be traded to New England in June (for salary cap purposes).
The Eagles have added four receivers this offseason: Lemon, Marquise Brown, Elijah Moore and Dontayvion Wicks.
We’ll see what their passing game looks like when they face the Seahawks in 2026.
MORNING POSTS
Trade down looks likely
10 a.m. — The Seahawks are looking to trade down from 32, and it sounds like there is enough interest from teams wanting to move up for them to accomplish that.
How far down do they go?
Daniel Jeremiah thinks the Seahawks are indeed focused on Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price.
“I still think that Price is a big part of that equation,” DJ told Seattle Sports Radio. “So how far back do you want to slide? How comfortable are you going back?
“I was looking at them in a couple of different scenarios, and it’s a little bit of a gamble if you were to go back further, but I think there’s enough players that could marry up and fit them well because they’re in such a good roster position. So I did a trade in my last mock draft and I had them making a little bit more of a significant drop.”
His mock had them trading with Baltimore at 45. Price could still be there. Or …
“I feel really good about you’re gonna have corners and edge rushers that are gonna be still in the mix,” Jeremiah said, mentioning Oklahoma pass rusher R Mason Thomas, Illinois edge Gabe Jacas, South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse, Georgia cornerback Daylen Everette and South Carolina safety Jalon Kilgore.
“There’ll be good options there with those (guys). I think Chris Johnson, probably you miss out on that one. Now, there’s still gonna be really good players there.”
What could they get at 56?
Would the Seahawks be willing to drop all the way to 56 to pick up a third-rounder and fourth-rounder from Jacksonville?
Who might be the best option at that point?
Perhaps Price. But this is where Arizona defensive back Treydan Stukes could come in. Or a top guard (Keyland Rutledge or Emmanuel Pregnon).
There still would be plenty of good players at 56. And the Hawks might then have 64, 81, 96 and 124 — which would be a pretty good spread.
CHAWK TALK: Everything being said about the Seahawks 