SEATTLE (AP) — It took less than two months for the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks to find a replacement for Kenneth Walker III.
The Seahawks selected Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price with the 32nd overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, addressing one of their top needs.
Price is expected to get opportunities with the starters from the jump, according to coach Mike Macdonald, and is eager to fill the void left by Walker, who after being named Super Bowl MVP left for the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.
“(I’m) coming to the right offense,” Price said. “An offense that prides itself on being balanced in running and throwing the ball. But just their emphasis on running the ball, first, and how important that is. You see Kenneth Walker III getting the Super Bowl MVP, I think it’s important. And, I’m glad to be in this situation.”
Price split time in the Fighting Irish’s backfield last season with Jeremiyah Love, who was selected with the No. 3 overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals. In a part-time role, Price ran for 674 yards on 113 carries (6.0 yards per attempt) and a career-high 11 rushing touchdowns last season.
Price said a number of schools tried to get him to enter the transfer portal, but he instead stayed behind and reaped the benefits of sharing a backfield with Love.
“(I) split reps with the best player in college football,” Price said. “I showed I can do it at the highest level. And sitting here now, it was the greatest decision I could have made.”
The 5-foot-11, 203-pound Price is a downhill runner, though he can bounce carries to the outside to make good use of his speed and quickness. President of football operations John Schneider was particularly impressed by Price’s ability to cut carries back, as well as his character.
Price is fueled on the football field by his mother, Jessica Butler, who was diagnosed with cancer when Price was 17. Butler eventually recovered, and demonstrated to Price that no amount of adversity is insurmountable.
“I truly believe that in order to grow, you have to go through pain and adversity,” Price said. “Watching my mom go through that, it made me believe there’s nothing that could stop me getting to achieve my dreams. She went through the worst. So, what’s one more bad day of adversity for me? I can always get through it.”
Heading into the draft, Schneider said the Seahawks were open to trading their top pick since they only had four total selections. But from Schneider’s perspective, Price was too tantalizing a package to pass on.
“Kind of stood alone. Great player,” Schneider said. “The person is outstanding. The competitor. He’s a Seahawk.”
Schneider admitted there’s some concern with the Seahawks only having three picks remaining in the draft. Seattle last had this few selections in 2021, when the Seahawks made three picks.
Schneider was adamant in believing the Seahawks were going to going to trade down, and they still may with one of their remaining selections (No. 64, No. 96 and No. 188).
“We thought we had some opportunities for a minute,” Schneider said. “They fell apart. A lot of trading going on already right ahead of us.”
Instead, Seattle nabbed Price, who will enter a running back room that includes Emanuel Wilson, who signed in free agency after three seasons with the Green Bay Packers to add to the team’s depth. There’s also Zach Charbonnet, who continues to rehab from a knee injury though he does not yet have a timeline for returning to the field, according to Macdonald.
Last season, the Seahawks started slow on the ground, but picked up steam as the season went along. Seattle finished the 2025 season with the 10th-most rushing yards per game (123.3).
With Price and new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury on the scene, the Seahawks hope to get churning on the ground a tad quicker.
“The Seahawks love to run the ball. You see what they did in the Super Bowl, and what really got them that far, winning it all,” Price said. “…What I can do in the backfield, and also protecting the quarterback and catching it out of the backfield, is phenomenal.”
