Jeremiyah Love
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The Seattle Seahawks can pivot from Jeremiyah Love to a more realistic and "fantasy-friendly" RB in the 2026 NFL draft.
The Seattle Seahawks targeting a running back in the 2026 NFL draft wouldn’t be a shock after the team lost Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III in free agency, but general manager John Schneider waiting for Day 2 before taking a “fantasy-friendly” runner off the board would be mildly surprising. Particularly when this back is a pivot away from class-leading prospect Jeremiyah Love.
Schneider would need to trade a hefty haul of picks he doesn’t have to enter the top 10 and take Love. So maybe the Seahawks stay patient and zero in on the Notre Dame star’s teammate.
It’s a suggestion from Fantasy Life’s Ian Hartitz, who lists the Seahawks as one of “The two most fantasy-friendly day-two landing spots for a running back.” Hartitz explained, “Seahawks (2.64/3.96): Emanuel Wilson only notable dude they’ve added to replace Kenneth Walker. Zach Charbonnet (ACL) is a candidate to miss some early-season action. Jadarian Price?”
Ian Hartitz
The two most fantasy-friendly day-two landing spots for a running back:
-Seahawks (2.64/3.96): Emanuel Wilson only notable dude they’ve added to replace Kenneth Walker. Zach Charbonnet (ACL) is a candidate to miss some early-season action. Jadarian Price?
-Commanders (3.71):
Price is an intriguing option to name because he spent most of his college career playing a supporting role, while Love owned the spotlight. It’s not that Price doesn’t have skills, but his quick-cutting, slashing style and returner-level speed and elusiveness make him more of a complementary back in a rotation.
Adding to a growing backfield committee wouldn’t exactly help the Seahawks adequately replace the workhorse role Walker performed so admirably in the postseason.
Jadarian Price a Day 2 Draft Risk for Seahawks
Schneider waited until the second day of the 2022 draft before taking Walker off the board, but there are differences between that pick and the case for selecting Price. Specifically, the latter wasn’t the leader of his team’s ground game in college, the way Walker was during a highly productive stint at Michigan State.
Instead, Price never carried the ball more than 120 times in a season during three years with the Fighting Irish. What Price did do was average at least 5.8 yards per carry every season, per Sports Reference.
The gaudy average represents Price’s natural ability to stretch the field with game-breaking speed. He showed off that speed by running the 40 in 4.49 seconds at the annual Scouting Combine.
Price would offer the Seahawks more of a breakaway threat than free-agent arrival Wilson and holdover Charbonnet. There would even be room for Price in the return game after he returned 22 kickoffs for 794 yards at the collegiate level.
The upside of waiting to use either the 64th or 96th-overall pick to take Price is obvious, but it would be a tall order for the 22-year-old to step into Walker’s shoes.
Kenneth Walker Type Still Missing from Backfield
Walker didn’t always enjoy splitting carries, but he played his way into a lead role once Charbonnet suffered a knee injury, and once the Seahawks needed an engine to power their offense on the biggest stage.
Trusting a primary ball-carrier worked wonders for the Seahawks when it mattered most, so another Walker-type back would be welcome. Yet, perhaps Schneider will resist trying to find one from the mere four picks he has in this draft.
Maybe Seattle’s GM will instead be content to dip back into free agency for a new bell-cow back. Especially when a four-time 1,000-yard rusher is still available on the veteran market and has already visited the home of the champions.