Jadarian Price has some big expectations in Year 1, and one analyst thinks he'll surpass them.
Seattle Seahawks running back Jadarian Price has landed, you could say, in a great situation to begin his NFL career.
Coming to the Super Bowl champs is great, but most rookies wouldn't be slated to start, except Price is.
With Zach Charbonnet out for what we think will be at least half the season, and he starts the year on PUP, that means a long runway for Price to begin getting into his groove.
George Holani is who Price will likely be sharing reps with behind Sam Darnold, but Jadarian feels like an RB1 right now.
Having been nursed through training camp and not being seen in preseason games, that tells us the Seahawks have big plans for Price in his first season.
And so does NFL.com's Jeremy Bergman, who, in picking a candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year, landed on Price.
"Seattle's first-round pick will be thrown into the fire out of the gate, with Kenneth Walker III in Kansas City and Zach Charbonnet (knee; PUP) out for at least the first four weeks," Bergman wrote.
"Reports out of Seahawks camp see Price as a worthy plug-and-play Day 1 starter, which can't be said for many other top offensive picks. Getting 15 touches a week for the defending Super Bowl champions, with a reigning Offensive Player of the Year threatening on the outside, is about as cushy an entry into the NFL as you can get."
Now, that is a big call, especially with Jeremiyah Love in Arizona expected to see a lot of burn in that offense.
But Price is behind a good offensive line, has a good quarterback in Darnold, and has skill position players in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, AJ Barner, and Cooper Kupp, who will take attention away from him.
That, in theory, could mean better rushing lanes for Price, and there could be some easy yards picked up.
Of course, it is also likely that Price will split carries with Holani, but if he manages to get 10-15 per game, that is more than enough to do some damage.
Needing roughly 1,000 yards on the ground, if not close to it, and a handful of touchdowns to be considered, is that in the realm of possibility for Price?
Bergman certainly seems to think so.
