The Seattle Seahawks' rookie class looks promising, with running back Jadarian Price, defensive back Bud Clark and cornerback Julian Neal. However, all three are not off to a great start in their careers, as they deal with injuries during their first training camp.
Clark broke his ankle during the team's last preseason game against the Tennessee Titans, ruling him out for the year. Meanwhile, Neal and Price are both dealing with leg injuries that have held them out of practice for periods of time during the summer. While both have not been ruled out for Week 1, their injury history doesn't bode a lot of confidence.
| Player |
Injury |
|---|---|
| RB Jadarian Price |
lower leg |
| DB Bud Clark |
broken ankle |
| CB Julian Neal |
lower leg |
Seattle Seahawks trainer holds the ankle of safety Bud Clark as they wait for the cart against the Tennessee Titans. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Even for the defending Super Bowl champions, having a strong draft class is incredibly important year after year. Rookies play a lot of snaps for teams, even when they have a ton of playoff experience. These players usually fill in the gaps on special teams and often take starting spots on the roster.
Last season, the Seahawks had first-round pick Grey Zabel start all 17 games on the offensive line. The Seahawks hope Price can be their starting running back, but the abundance of caution they are using at this point suggests that he has an injury that isn't exactly quantifiable.
Price can't be overworked , which is not a good place to be in as a running back before the season begins. Price is going to get hit a lot during his first season in the league. It's possible that one big hit could make his injury that much worse.
As for Neal, he has been back at practice. The Seahawks have looked at other cornerbacks to sign on the open market after going for Terrion Arnold and Trevon Diggs, which suggests that the team is not fully comfortable with where Neal is in his recovery process.
The Seahawks drafted all three of these players to make strong contributions right out of the gate, but it doesn't look like any of them will at this point.
The Seahawks have additional rookies in Iowa offensive lineman Beau Stephens, Kansas wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson, Toledo cornerback Andre Fuller, Minnesota defensive tackle Deven Eastern and Arizona cornerback Michael Dansby, but there's only a slight chance any of them end up in the starting lineup, and some of them might not even make the 53-man roster out of training camp.
Price and Neal could make recoveries between now and the season opener. The Seahawks need to bank on that happening, because if they don't, they will find themselves behind while all 31 teams in the league close the gap on them with their rookie classes.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/onsi as Seahawks Rookie Class Has Major Concerns Due to Injuries .
