There will be two Notre Dame rookie running backs starting in the NFC West this season, and a top NFL expert believes the Seattle Seahawks have the one who will have the bigger season in 2026.
Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft , there was a ton of speculation about where Heisman candidate Jeremiyah Love would land in round one. Most pundits assumed the back would end up with the Tennessee Titans at No. 4 or the New York Giants at five. However, the Arizona Cardinals surprised many by taking him at No. 3 despite not having a dire need at the position.
For a franchise in desperate need of star power, many draft evaluators felt Love might end up being the best player in this year’s class because of his versatility and impressive athleticism. However, according to NFL expert Todd McShay, the back won’t have a better debut season than his teammate, who was taken 29 picks later, Jadarian Price.
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While the idea seems ridiculous, McShay made some legitimate points during a new edition of his The McShay Show podcast. First, he explained that Price will have an offensive line that will be improved in 2026, and Kenneth Walker had over 1,000 yards in 2025 with the previous group. Plus, the rookie will have more talent around him in QB Sam Darnold and superstar receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba .
Although Price wasn’t the lead back at Notre Dame last year, he still had a good season in 2025 as he ran for 674 yards with a 6.0 yards per carry average and 11 touchdowns. It was why he went in the first round despite being the No. 2 RB at South Bend. McShay notes he will now get to shine more as the projected RB1 for the defending champion Seahawks.
When it comes to Love, McShay expects him to have a good season. However, he notes there are good veterans behind him in Tyler Allgeier and James Connor behind him that might steal away some carries and opportunities. That could be key in having lower rushing numbers than Price in 2026.
“I feel pretty good about Price having more rushing yards than Love,” McShay said.
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