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Jadarian Price of Notre Dame has been linked to the Browns.
The Seattle Seahawks are deep in preparation for the upcoming NFL draft. The defending Super Bowl Champions have just four total draft picks this year, so they will need to be diligent with who they choose.
The Seahawks have lost key members of both their offense and defense in free agency. While some replacements were already on their roster, there are still holes to fill.
One position that needs reinforcements is running back, after Kenneth Walker III signed with the Chiefs, and Zach Charbonnet is likely to miss the beginning of the season after tearing his ACL in the playoffs. Now, with one of those four picks, the Seahawks are projected to go for a running back in the first round.
Notre Dame RB
Out of Notre Dame, the running back with the most hype by far is Jeremiyah Love. At Notre Dame Love was a unanimous All-American and the Doak Walker award winner. He’s projected as a top 10 pick in some mock drafts, a long way away from the Seahawks first pick at 32. However, a first-round pick at running back from Notre Dame remains a realistic option for the team.
In his April 8 mock draft article, ESPN’s Peter Schrager projected the Seahawks to draft Jadarian Price from Notre Dame.
“Believe it or not, Notre Dame has never had two running backs selected in the first round of the same NFL draft,” Schrager wrote. “In fact, only four running back tandems from the same school have ever been selected in the first round in the same year. But Price is the No. 2 running back in this class and would provide some nice pop to the Seattle offense after the departure of Kenneth Walker III via free agency. He had only 113 carries last season but turned them into 674 yards and 11 scores.”
Schrager is banking on the Seahawks projecting Price’s future productivity more than what he has done in college as the number-two back at Notre Dame. Even when Charbonnet is healthy, the Seahawks value having multiple capable running backs, and Price has operated successfully in that format.
Plenty of Options
While the Seahawks could potentially fill their other running back roles through the draft, general manager John Schneider has made it clear that this is a position the team feels they’ll have options.
In a March 19 interview with 710 Seattle Sports, Schneider discussed his potential options at running back.
“That’s a position where you can find guys,” Schneider. “Obviously, [Walker was] outstanding, and everybody’s really excited for him. I mean, that’s a great, great contract for a running back. But George [Holani] did a great job. We’re really excited about Emanuel Wilson, who we got from the Green Bay Packers, a heavy runner with really nice feet.”
With Charbonnet out to begin the season, it appears the Seahawks will prefer a running back-by-committee approach to replace the production lost with Kenneth Walker. Replacing the Super Bowl MVP with one person may not be easy, but Schneider remains confident in the Seahawks’ ability not to miss a step next season.
Chad Gelfand Chad Gelfand is a journalist covering the NFL with focus on the Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, and Carolina Panthers for Heavy.com. Gelfand has over six years of writing experience.
Gelfand previously covered the Philadelphia Eagles for Last Word On Sports. He also has experience writing in the worlds of entertainment and wrestling.
Gelfand was an Entertainment writer for the List.com, and a contributor for Fansided’s wrestling website Daily DDT and The Wrestling Estate. Gelfand has also appeared multiple times as a guest on POST Wrestling’s “Bushby and Thompson’s Wrestling Adventure” podcast. More about Chad Gelfand
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