Price will be asked to carry a heavy load early on in his first NFL season.
If Seattle Seahawks rookie running back Jadarian Price was hoping for an easy transition into the NFL in Year 1, he's not going to get it.
With Kenneth Walker now a Kansas City Chief, plus Zach Charbonnet out for at least the first portion of the season, that is Seattle's top two backs from last year out.
George Holani, Kenny McIntosh, and free agent signing Emanuel Wilson are the options, but after the draft, we can add Price to that list.
And he won't be down the depth chart. He'll be on top.
Seen by some draft experts as a genuine NFL starter, we are going to find out early on if that's the case, as Price will likely be expected to carry a heavy load for Brian Fleury.
It's a "thrown into the deep end" scenario if I've ever seen one.
And NFL.com's Gennaro Filice thinks the same, naming Price as a rookie who needs to succeed in Year 1.
“The Seahawks, who ran the ball at the third-highest rate last season (50%), had a gaping hole in the backfield," Filice wrote. Charbonnet will return at some point next season, but Price figures to get ample burn, especially in the early goings. The good news is that he enters the league with plenty of tread left on the tires, having played the role of Robin to Jeremiyah Love’s Batman at Notre Dame.
“This first-round pick is clouded with uncertainty, but one thing’s for sure: The reigning champs need someone to tote the rock.”
Given how many think Fleury's scheme will work, similarly to Kyle Shanahan's in San Francisco, Price could be asked to do more than just run the football. After all, we know how much the scheme relies on running backs being receivers as well.
So, Price, as a centerpiece of the offense, might not quite be the case, but expect him, at least initially, as Charbonnet works his way back to full health, to be a key cog in the offensive machine.
Is he up to the task? Well, putting it bluntly, he's going to have to be, isn't he?
We know how much the 49ers like to run the ball, and I'd imagine Fleury will look to bring some elements of that across to Seattle.
And that means Price, while he might not "need" to succeed as such, will get every chance to do so.
