Seahawks Were Wary Of 49ers’ Interest In RB Jadarian Price; Seattle Remains Open To Signing Dante Fowler
The Seahawks filled a major need in this year’s draft when they selected Notre Dame RB Jadarian Price with the last pick (No. 32 overall) of Day 1. Although they reportedly attempted to trade out of the first round — and, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson, the Titans (No. 35) and Giants (No. 37) were among the potential trade partners — the ‘Hawks felt comfortable selecting Price for a number of reasons (aside from his obvious talent as a runner and relatively low odometer reading).
As Henderson relays, Price’s character and willingness to eschew more lucrative NIL deals to remain with the Fighting Irish as Jeremiyah Love‘s backup — which Price says he did as a challenge to himself to earn a notable workload alongside Love, whom he called the best player in college football — contributed to GM John Schneider‘s decision to pull the trigger with his first-round selection.
Plus, Schneider was concerned the division-rival 49ers would nab Price at No. 33, and given the perceived gap between Price and the next tier of RBs in this year’s draft class, that would have been a bitter pill to swallow (Henderson says Schneider viewed Washington’s Jonah Coleman and Arkansas’ Mike Washington as Day 3 options if he was unable to land the former Golden Domer).
The Seahawks’ other realistic first-round target was San Diego State CB Chris Johnson, whom the Dolphins selected at No. 27. Seattle ultimately landed a cornerback prospect when it chose Julian Neal with the No. 99 pick, and it was Neal’s tackling ability that stood out. Riq Woolen, who defected to the Eagles in free agency, was not a sure and willing tackler, and the club hopes Neal will represent an upgrade in that regard and step into Woolen’s CB3 role.
Like Woolen, Dareke Young left the Seahawks in free agency, and Henderson suggests Emmanuel Henderson, the No. 199 pick, could take over for Young on Seattle’s special teams unit thanks to his ability to return and cover kicks. A different wide receiver the ‘Hawks were eyeing for a third phase role, Kentucky’s Kendrick Law, went to the Lions as the 168th pick.
Interestingly, some members of the organization valued fifth-round guard Beau Stephens more highly than Keylan Rutledge, who went to the Texans in the first round. Henderson confirms, as our Connor Byrne recently noted, that Seattle expects Stephens to push Anthony Bradford for the starting right guard spot in 2026.
The board was not as kind to Seattle with respect to pass rushers, as would-be targets like R Mason Thomas, Derrick Moore, and Jaishawn Barham went elsewhere. That leaves the Seahawks without a replacement for Boye Mafe, who signed with the Bengals in March. Dante Fowler, who visited Seattle last month and who remains unsigned, remains one of Schenider’s top options, per Henderson. The ESPN scribe had said in a prior report that Schneider could still sign a pass rusher, whether that’s Fowler or someone else.
R Mason Thomas Sets Up Several Visits
After earning first-team All-SEC honors in 2025, Oklahoma edge defender R Mason Thomas may have a chance to come off the board late in the first round of this year’s draft. Several teams are showing interest in the 6-foot-2, 241-pounder. In addition to the previously reported Browns, Thomas has lined up visits with the Dolphins, Seahawks, Buccaneers and Patriots, per Arye Pulli of SI.com.
Thomas had a quiet first two seasons at Oklahoma, where he combined for 1.5 sacks in 19 games from 2022-23. His production increased dramatically during his junior season, in which he totaled 12.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks and two forced fumbles in 13 contests. Thomas added another two FFs last year, though his TFLs (9.5) and sacks (6.5) understandably dipped during a 10-game season.
Thomas missed three games after suffering a quad injury on a 71-yard fumble return touchdown in a win over Tennessee on Nov. 1. He returned to make three tackles in a 34-24 loss to Alabama in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
With his Sooners tenure in the rearview mirror, there are questions on how high Thomas will go in the draft. Anywhere after the second round would come as a surprise. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com ranks Thomas as this year’s 49th-best prospect, calling him “an instinctive and physical edge defender” while dinging him for a lack of “ideal height/length/bulk.” Jeremiah expects Thomas to turn into a solid starter, which is something most of the teams eyeing him could use.
The Browns have the best edge defender in the NFL, Myles Garrett, but could make an addition there after backing out of an agreement with A.J. Epenesa. Having released their 2025 leader in sacks, Bradley Chubb, the Dolphins are lacking high-upside complements to Chop Robinson. The reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks lost Boye Mafe to the Bengals in free agency. The Buccaneers are thin on the edge beyond YaYa Diaby and Al-Quadin Muhammad. Meanwhile, after winning the AFC, the Patriots essentially swapped K’Lavon Chaisson for Dre’Mont Jones in free agency. With both Jones and Harold Landry nearing the age of 30, making a notable investment in a younger pass rusher via the draft could be in store. Thomas, who will turn 22 in August, may end up as the Patriots’ answer.
Browns Making WR A Potential First-Round Focus
The Browns aren’t doing much to hide one of their main focuses for the 2026 NFL Draft. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported yesterday that the team has hosted several wide receivers for top 30 visits in the past few days. 
Cleveland hasn’t lost much in its receiving corps to free agency and, just this week, added former Ravens return specialist Tylan Wallace to the room. The Browns are set to return Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, and Cedric Tillman to a passing attack that finished second-to-last in the NFL last year on the arms of three competing quarterbacks. Though things may still change, this year’s group isn’t expected to be dealing with as much uncertainty, with the expectation being that second-year passer Shedeur Sanders will compete with a recovering Deshaun Watson for QB1 honors.
Given the sheer number of returning bodies at the position, Cleveland likely isn’t aiming to build depth. Based on their early reported visits, the aim appears to be adding a starting-caliber receiver that can complement the playmakers currently in the building. We saw yesterday their plans to host Washington wideout Denzel Boston days after bringing in Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and Ohio State’s Carnell Tate (as well as Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson). Considering those three pass catchers are three of NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah’s top five receivers, a first-round wideout could easily be in the Browns’ immediate future.
Those three aren’t alone in competition for Cleveland’s favor, though. Per Cabot, USC’s Makai Lemon, Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr., Alabama’s Germie Bernard, and Louisville’s Chris Bell have all been subjects of the Browns’ pre-draft homework. The team has hosted all of them at some point in the past few days, as well as Miami (FL) offensive tackle Markel Bell, Oklahoma edge rusher R Mason Thomas, and Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
It doesn’t seem the Browns are looking for any one particular attribute in a potential first-round receiver. The prospects they’ve looked at thus far range in body size, speed, and abilities. Some excel at making contested catches, while others specialize in yards after catch, and others still make route-running an art. Whether they’re looking for an upgrade in the slot, a big-bodied red-zone target, or someone to take the top off the defense, they appear to have no shortage of options or interests.