The Seattle Seahawks have found the core players who played a large role in their Super Bowl LX win last season. Nonetheless, general manager John Schneider has to replace key players who left in free agency this offseason.
Nonetheless, with Schneider’s track record at the NFL Draft, he is likely to find the right players to replace Coby Bryant and Kenneth Walker III. During an April 16 appearance on Seattle Sports, Schneider offered insight into the team’s draft philosophy, which has allowed them to hit on their picks.
“It usually ends up being a combination of [drafting for need and taking the best player available],” Schneider said. “That’s how we grade for our team. We don’t grade for the National Football League. We say, ‘OK, this is our best player for our team.’ That’s kind of where that comes into play.
“Now, are there times when you just can’t pass up a player we think is going to get drafted higher? He comes along, and we have to take him? You’re just taking the best player, and that’s what it comes down to. But as we build this thing, we’re always building it for our team and not the league and not where the players should go.”
Insider Gives Take on Potential Seattle Draft Target
When it comes to a particular draft prospect, mock drafts and takes suggest that former Notre Dame Fighting Irish star Jadarian Price could be a fit for Seattle. In his mailbag column, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer explained why he could see Price being a first-round pick.
“I think it’s possible that Jadarian Price, Jeremiyah Love’s backup at Notre Dame, has an outside shot to sneak in the bottom of the round, on the premise that there is a big dropoff after the two Irish backs go,“ Breer wrote in his April 15 article.
“In other words, if you have a need at the position, you may view Price as your last chance to get a ready-made starter in this year’s class, so you may push him up the board a little bit.”
Last season at Notre Dame, Price earned a 78.6 overall PFF grade. Moreover, his PFF rushing grade of 79.9 ranked 157th among 406 qualified running backs. He carried the ball 113 times for 674 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Price averaged 6.0 yards per attempt on the ground.
Price forced 32 missed tackles as a runner and averaged 3.9 yards after contact per attempt. As a receiver, he caught six passes on seven targets for 87 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Seahawks Urged to Go Running Back at No. 32
Seattle holds the No. 32 pick, and NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah believes that the Seahawks should go after a running back, and Price would be the right draft prospect for them.
“If you don’t get on the Jadarian Price train, I’m not feeling great about you having a running back you think could start next year,“ Jeremiah said in an April 13 video from “The Joel Klatt Show.” “I think this is a two-starting-running-back draft.
“Now, we always will get some guys who will surprise us and be solid players, but to me, it is not a weakness in this draft. I’m looking at him. I will put the ceiling, I’ll go Seattle pick 32. And then the floor, I’ll go Seattle 32. How do they not take him? They don’t have a starting running back.”
Seahawks GM John Schneider Doesn’t Hold Back on Draft Plans