2026 NFL Draft Grades: Seattle Seahawks

Not only were the Seahawks picking at the end of each round by virtue of winning the Super Bowl, but they came in with just four picks. But like magic, general manager John Schneider doubled that number through four trades. And he walked away with a few very good football players.

Part of the reason the Seahawks won the Super Bowl was an incredible playoff stretch from Kenneth Walker III. He totaled 313 rushing yards over three games, and he went for 135 in the Super Bowl. But with big-game performances come big contracts, and Walker left for Kansas City, opening a void at running back. Zach Charbonnet tore an ACL during the playoffs, meaning the RB1 spot is up for grabs, even after the Emanuel Wilson signing.

Jadarian Price steps in as a possible answer. He is a powerful runner with change-of-direction ability and enough speed to get free for the occasional long gain. Fumbles are an issue (three last season), but if he can iron out those issues, he can be a high-volume ball carrier on first and second down. Price doesn't offer a ton as a pass catcher, but he is the clear second-best back in this class behind his former Notre Dame teammate, and he can step in as the new RB1 in Seattle.

Bud Clark is a ball hawk who popped at the combine, running a 4.41-second 40 and finishing in the top five at his position in both jumps. He has 15 interceptions over the past four seasons. Julian Neal, the third-round corner, has four over the past two years. Clark can help fill the Coby Bryant hole, while Neal will likely team up with Josh Jobe to get reps at the CB2 spot, as the Seahawks lost Riq Woolen in free agency. Neal doesn't have Woolen's speed (his 40 time was 4.49), but he has a big 6-foot-2, 203-pound frame on the outside.

Beau Stephens has starting guard upside (no sacks allowed over the past two years), and Deven Eastern is a big presence at defensive tackle (6-foot-5, 315 pounds). Seattle added picks, but there aren't many chances to make an impact beyond the top two rounds.

GM John Schneider, who loves to accrue draft capital (often at the expense of premium selections) entered the draft with a league-low four picks, then — somewhat stunningly — did the stick-and-pick thing in Rounds 1 and 2, taking RB Jadarian Price and S Bud Clark, respectively. Both players could and should play a lot as rookies, both due to their draft status and the players Seattle lost in free agency, namely Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III and S Coby Bryant. Yet Schneider still managed to wheel and deal his way into doubling his crop into eight picks. This is how champions are built, two times over now in Schneider's case with two completely different rosters, an NFL anomaly for a GM.

Best Pick: Third-rounder Julian Neal is a perfect Seattle corner -- long and athletic. He is big at 6-foot-2, which the Seahawks love.

Worst Pick: Second-round safety Bud Clark made a lot of plays on the ball in college, but I am not sure he was worthy of going 64th overall. Then again, the Seahawks do know a thing or two about finding defensive backs.

The Skinny: I normally don't like taking backs in the first, but landing running back Jadarian Price with the 32nd pick was a great move. He will be a big-time runner. The rest of the draft has a John Schneider look to it with the body types they took.

The defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks entered the draft with an NFL-low four selections, but even after attempted trade-down opportunities evaporated while on the clock at No. 32 overall, GM John Schneider doubled his picks, ultimately adding eight players.

The clear star of the class is running back Jadarian Price, an instinctive runner well-suited to the wide-zone scheme new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury will keep in Seattle. The Seahawks needed to find a back with Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III now with the Chiefs, and the club filled holes at safety and cornerback with its next picks in TCU's ball-hawking Bud Clark and the ascending and highly aggressive Julian Neal at No. 99 overall.

Day 3 went from a yawner to the Seahawks' most active day of the draft, with the club turning one pick into five, adding pro-ready guard Beau Stephens, Minnesota ironman Deven Eastern, toolsy wideout (and special teams ace) Emmanuel Henderson and two more developmental cornerbacks in Andre Fuller and Michael Dansby.

This class wasn't as flashy as the one a year ago, which helped power the Seahawks to its second championship in franchise history, but it was an impressive haul that improved one of the deepest rosters in the league — even with the club having already invested two middle-round picks at the trade deadline for Rashid Shaheed.

I'm sure it will be criticized, but I loved the Super Bowl champs getting a big play running back at the end of round one. The run game is the engine that makes the rest of their offense go, you need a difference-making running back to accomplish that.

Bud Clark is a bit of a gambler at safety, but his range and ball skills were exactly what they needed to replace at free safety. Julian Neal fits the mold of the big, athletic cornerbacks they like to target. His transition speed can be a step slow, but he is a plus run defender that should be fine in off coverage.

I don't think the Seahawks got much impact from day three, but Emmanuel Henderson Jr. should be an excellent punt gunner at the next level. Sidenote: trading a 2027 fourth to get into the fifth round for Beau Stephens was not my favorite move, but clearly they felt they needed real depth at that spot.

Here's why: Four picks became eight for the Seahawks, even without trading out of pick No. 32 despite general manager John Schneider flaunting a "FOR SALE" sign for weeks. The Seahawks tabbed Jadarian Price at the end of the first round, which could be perceived as a reach for need, but is more understandable when you consider the drastic dropoff of talent in this year's crop of running backs. They guaranteed themselves a quality starter and didn't leave themselves at risk of Price getting snatched up in Round 2, forcing them to reach for a player they likely had graded much lower.

After that, the Seahawks kept filling out the few outright needs this roster has. Bud Clark is the Coby Bryant replacement as a rangy safety who loves attempting to make the big play on the football and Julian Neal is a cornerback with good size who helps fill out the room. He's another one-for-one type replacement with the recently departed Riq Woolen.

Most interesting pick: Beau Stephens, OG, Iowa

Despite lacking length and high-end athleticism, Stephens is a great fit for the zone-heavy scheme he's about to be dropped into in Seattle. He has some pop to his hands and his awareness helps him maximize his ability. His experience in a zone-heavy run scheme like the one he ran at Iowa will help him hit the ground running. This offensive system has a way of unearthing lower-drafted linemen as starters, something the Seahawks would love to have as an answer for their right guard conundrum, one of the few outright weaknesses on this roster.

The Seahawks painted themselves into a corner in free agency when they let Kenneth Walker leave for the Chiefs, opening a giant hole at the running back position. That left them somewhat desperate to find Walker's successor in the draft, and when they failed to execute a trade out of the first round, they stayed put and picked Jadarian Price. That's a pretty massive overpay for my 56th-ranked player, who never was a starter in college and brings limited experience as a pass catcher to the pros. With the value question out of the way, I like what Price brings to the Seahawks offense: He's an explosive playmaker on the ground and will give the team some juice in the run game until Zach Charbonnet can return to the field. I was a huge fan of the Bud Clark pick for Seattle as well. He's a rangy, ball-hawking defensive back with the skill set to contribute early on at either nickel, safety, or even corner. His versatility and aggressive style make him an awesome fit for the Mike Macdonald defense. The team turned around in the third and took a long, super competitive corner in Julian Neal, who could push for snaps early in his career. And they moved back up in the fifth to take guard Beau Stephens, who could find himself in the competition at the right guard spot from day one. Overall, I felt the Seahawks panicked and overpaid in the first round, but did well to identify some potential early impact players on the second and third days of the draft.

Analysis: Seattle didn't waste time, replacing Kenneth Walker III, Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen with its first three picks. Price is a power back who excels at running between the tackles. He will likely be a Day 1 starter with Zach Charbonnet recovering from a torn ACL sustained in the postseason. Clark can play free safety and nickel corner, and by now, it's common knowledge that coach Mike Macdonald loves versatile defensive backs. Neal has enticing length at 6' 2" as a cornerback.