The Seahawks didn’t enter 2026 with a rookie class built to make a loud first impression, but one game was enough to show that first-rounder Jadarian Price may be the exception. Seattle had only four picks going into the draft before that total grew to eight, and most of the names came in the later rounds with long odds of cracking a roster that was already packed.
Then Bud Clark’s preseason ankle injury wiped out one of the class’s better early chances. The second-round safety is done for the season, even though he had been turning in a strong camp and looked like someone who could matter in 2027.
That left Price and cornerback Julian Neal as the only rookies to see action in Week 1 against the New England Patriots, and the gap between their roles was obvious.
Price looked like the one rookie ready to change things right away. The running back earned a B grade for his debut, though his workload probably held him back from something even higher.
He carried the ball 10 times for 52 yards, a 5.2-yard average, and his longest run went for 13 yards. This wasn’t a one-breakaway-run stat line, either; he kept stacking useful gains, often popping off runs of at least six yards.
He also caught two passes for six yards, but mostly as a safety valve rather than a featured part of the passing game.
Seattle split the backfield work with veteran George Holani, who had eight carries, but Price was clearly the more dangerous runner. The rookie should see more touches after this, and the way he opened his career suggests he’s only going to keep getting better. The Seahawks may already have their RB1 for a long stretch.
Neal’s debut was much quieter. The third-round corner didn’t get any defensive snaps and was limited to five special teams reps, all on punt returns.
He handled that work without issue, but nothing about it stood out. That said, Seattle’s cornerback group held up well, especially Nehemiah Pritchett, so there was no need to force Neal into a bigger role.
For now, Neal looks like a player whose early value comes in the third phase while his defensive snaps remain limited. If Pritchett and Josh Jobe keep playing at this level, that setup works just fine.
The only other rookie with a path onto the field was guard Beau Stephens, but he was a healthy inactive for Week 1. And while starter Anthony Bradford wasn’t especially sharp, he still played all 28 of his pass-block snaps and gave up three pressures while drawing two penalties.
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