{"id":740419,"date":"2026-02-09T14:19:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T14:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/740419\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T14:19:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T14:19:16","slug":"jadarian-price-feels-like-a-natural-2026-nfl-draft-selection-inside-the-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/740419\/","title":{"rendered":"Jadarian Price Feels Like a Natural 2026 NFL Draft Selection \u00bb Inside The Star"},"content":{"rendered":"

After watching Jadarian Price play at Notre Dame, I saw a running back whose size, physicality, and running style aligned perfectly with what the Dallas Cowboys need.<\/p>\n

Seemingly every draft cycle, there\u2019s a running back who just makes sense for the Cowboys. I believe Jadarian Price is one of those players.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t the lead back at Notre Dame. That honor belonged to Jeremiyah Love<\/a>, but this isn\u2019t about star power. It\u2019s about how Price runs, absorbs contact, and how his game fits what Dallas needs.<\/p>\n

Jadarian Price checks all the boxes in my book.<\/p>\n

\"Jadarian <\/p>\n

Jadarian Price Has A Compact Build Built for NFL Contact<\/p>\n

At 5\u201911\u201d and around 210 pounds<\/a>, Price has an NFL-ready build that shows up immediately on tape.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s dense through his lower half, balanced through contact, and comfortable running behind his pads. That matters behind an offensive line that doesn\u2019t always create clean lanes.<\/p>\n

What I feel stands out most is how calm he is behind the line of scrimmage. Price presses the hole with patience, forces defenders to commit, then accelerates through the crease.<\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t dance, or panic, he just executes.<\/p>\n

\"Jadarian <\/p>\n

A Running Style That Matches the Cowboys\u2019 Identity<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think Dallas necessarily needs a home-run hitter, but Price\u2019s running style<\/a> fits exactly how the Cowboys want to play.<\/p>\n

The Cowboys need someone who can stay on schedule, fall forward, and turn routine runs into positive ones.<\/p>\n

Jadarian Price runs with intent that anyone can see on tape from Notre Dame. I see a decisive runner without being reckless and physical without wasting energy.<\/p>\n

That type of balance is what keeps an offense ahead of the chains.<\/p>\n

\"Jadarian <\/p>\n

Efficiency in a Shared Backfield<\/p>\n

Price hasn\u2019t needed a massive workload to make his presence known. In a shared backfield, he averaged six yards per carry<\/a> and consistently found the end zone, scoring 11 touchdowns.<\/p>\n

I feel that is efficiency not empty production. For a Cowboys\u2019 offense that spreads the ball through the air<\/a>, Price is the kind of runner who fits perfectly.<\/p>\n

\"Javonte <\/p>\n

Why the Javonte Williams Comparison Holds Up<\/p>\n

I am comfortable comparing Jadarian Price to Javonte Williams. The same build, running style, and temperament can be seen in these two players.<\/p>\n

Price forced 73 broken tackles on 289 rushing attempts<\/a> in his three years at Notre Dame. That is roughly once every four carries. If he\u2019d handled the 433 carries as Jeremiyah Love, that pace projects to around 110 broken tackles.<\/p>\n

Like Williams coming out of college, Price doesn\u2019t win with flash, but with balance, leg drive, and a refusal to go down on first contact.<\/p>\n

The running style is similar and that translates to NFL success.<\/p>\n

A Second-Round Grade Isn\u2019t Good for the Cowboys<\/p>\n

Here is where I want reality to come in for everyone. Jadarian Price currently holds a second-round grade<\/a> and that doesn\u2019t help the Cowboys, who are currently without that pick.<\/p>\n

Landing a player like Price would require a trade up or a move back into that range.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly why this fit matters.<\/p>\n

If Dallas views Price as a tone-setter instead of a luxury, he becomes the type of player worth moving assets for.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t need to see a reckless jump, but a calculated move into the early-to-mid second round where value often outweighs draft slot obsession.<\/p>\n

Why This Feels Like a Cowboys Pick That Ages Well<\/p>\n

The more I think about this player and the pick, I think it would be a great addition for the Cowboys. Having a player like Price that can step in and take over on a cheaper contract than Javonte Williams would be the perfect path.<\/p>\n

Price doesn\u2019t need to be the featured back from Day One. He just needs carries, structure, and patience. Tough efficient runners with this profile tend to outplay their draft slot.<\/p>\n

If Dallas wants to keep its run game from last season, but doesn\u2019t want to pay Javonte Williams, Jadarian Price feels like the perfect fit hiding in plain sight.<\/p>\n

Was this helpful?<\/p>\n

Thanks for your feedback!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After watching Jadarian Price play at Notre Dame, I saw a running back whose size, physicality, and running…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":740420,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[106221,89201,7,27001,1274,6,15,4732,1551,27266,3007],"class_list":["post-740419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl-draft","tag-2026-offense","tag-draft-free-agency","tag-football","tag-jadarian-price","tag-javonte-williams","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-draft","tag-notre-dame-fighting-irish","tag-offense","tag-run-game","tag-running-back"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=740419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/740420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=740419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=740419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=740419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}