First-round pick Jadarian Price can finally step out of Jeremiyah Love’s shadow

It’s safe to say that Jeremiyah Love has been at the top of the class of college running backs over the last two years. 

The All-American from Notre Dame, who became the third pick of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night, rushed for 2,497 yards and 35 touchdowns at a clip of 6.9 yards per attempt across 28 games the past two seasons. Love finished third for the Heisman Trophy in 2025. 

All the while, Jadarian Price played second fiddle out of the backfield for the Irish, making his mark but always being outshined by Love. That has now changed. 

Price cemented his own first-round status Thursday night. The Seattle Seahawks selected him with the 32nd pick on Thursday, marking the first time since 2008 that one school had two running backs taken in the first round of the same draft. 

Despite his backup role at Notre Dame, Price averaged 710 rushing yards at a clip of 6.1 per carry with 18 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He has also proven to be a game-breaker on special teams, returning three kickoffs for touchdowns during his college career. Two of those came this past fall.