How Seahawks’ eight draft picks fared during offseason program

The Seattle Seahawks’ eight 2026 draft picks got their first exposure to NFL life during the team’s just-concluded offseason program.

The eight on-field workouts during OTAs (organized team activities) and minicamp were held without pads or contact and were mostly designed to lay a foundation for what is to come.

“They’ve been exposed to all the things they need to be exposed to, to get into training camp,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said last week. “Now the focus for them is, ‘How do I formulate a holistic plan around what I want to do this summer to put myself in the best position I can possibly be to have a great training camp?’”

The pads go on at training camp and something closer to real football begins to be played. That will give a truer sense of what the Seahawks may expect from each of the eight once the regular season rolls around.

As the Seahawks head into summer break, here’s a review of what we saw from their draft picks.

Running back Jadarian Price (first round, 32nd overall): Price worked fully in every practice open to the media. He generally went second in the running-back rotation behind three-year vet George Holani and followed by free agent signee Emanuel Wilson, with Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh on the sidelines still recovering from ACL injuries.

Macdonald last week described Price and Wilson as “putting themselves in great positions going into the offseason.”

As was the case during rookie minicamp, Price continued to get a lot of work in the passing game, getting — and usually catching — multiple targets each practice.

Price caught just 15 passes in 41 games at Notre Dame, which led to much pre-draft discussion of how effective he might be in an NFL passing game.

The Seahawks from the start have said they are confident Price can be a factor in the passing game, and Macdonald reiterated that last month saying, “It’s definitely part of our offense.”

While Macdonald said Charbonnet’s recovery is going well, October still seems the most realistic potential earliest date for a return. That means a Holani/Price/Wilson, trio, maybe joined by McIntosh, to begin the season.

Safety Bud Clark (second round, 64th overall): Clark typically worked with the second-team defense when the Seahawks were in their base defense behind the starting duo of Julian Love and Ty Okada (with Nick Emmanwori remaining as a starter in his third-safety role).

Clark typically worked alongside free agent signee Rodney Thomas II with veteran D’Anthony Bell working with the second unit in a third-safety role, and veteran A.J. Finley working on the side as he recovers from a knee injury suffered last August.

Training camp will help to sort out those roles as the Seahawks remake their safety position after the loss of starter Coby Bryant to the Bears in free agency, and Clark will undoubtedly be given every chance to win a starting job.

Clark could compete for time when the Seahawks go with five or six defensive backs.

Macdonald noted that one danger is overloading rookies with too much info too early, indicating that the Seahawks may allow Clark to get comfortable at one or two spots early on in the back end before putting more on his plate.

“It’s a case of how much do you move him around?” Macdonald said. “He can do all the things, similar to some of the other guys we have. How do you divvy up the reps and the team so he can get the right amount of things so he can compete for an opportunity?”

Cornerback Julian Neal (third round, 99th overall): The Arkansas product typically worked with the second and third units at right cornerback. Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe are the clear starters at the two corner spots, but Witherspoon moves to the nickel spot regularly which opens up time for a third corner, the role Riq Woolen held most of last year.

Once camp begins, Neal will be firmly in the competition for that spot along with third-year vet Nehemiah Pritchett and veteran free agent signee Noah Igbinoghene.

Neal was one of three cornerbacks the Seahawks drafted, the others being Andre Fuller and Michael Dansby in the seventh round.

Asked about all three, Macdonald gave this assessment last week: “It’s not something where you can just walk in and know what to do immediately. It takes a lot of work. Guys are putting in extra work. … They’re still probably not playing at the speed that we’re going to want to expect come training camp time. That’s not for a lack of trying. They have to trust that they go though, not around, on this thing and just keep going through the process.“

Guard Beau Stephens (fifth round, 148th overall): When the Seahawks made a trade with Cleveland to send a fourth-round pick in 2027 to the Browns for a fifth-rounder and take Stephens, there was much speculation he would immediately contend with veteran Anthony Bradford for the starting right guard spot.

For this year, Stephens may more realistically be battling with third-year vet Christian Haynes for the backup spot. Bradford played throughout the spring as the No. 1 RG with Haynes as the No. 2 and Stephens No. 3. Bradford is in the final season of his four-year rookie contract, so his long-term future is far from certain in Seattle.

Bradford appears the clear starter heading into camp, with Haynes and Stephens vying not just for the backup spot but to show who may be best suited to be the long-term heir apparent. Haynes has played just 199 snaps in two NFL seasons but appears set to get one last shot to live up to the expectations the team had for him when he was taken 81st overall in 2024.

Receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. (sixth round, 199th overall): Henderson typically worked with the third-team offense as well as on special teams.

Assuming Tory Horton is back for the regular season, they have a set five at receiver (Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed, Jake Bobo and Horton), leaving the others to convince the Seahawks to keep one or two more on the 53-man roster. Second-year man Ricky White III and veteran Cody White typically worked with the second team at receiver, indicating they are ahead in that battle. Henderson will get his shot to impress in camp.

Cornerback Andre Fuller (seventh round, 236th overall): Fuller, from Toledo, worked with the second- and third-team defense as an outside corner and in the slot. Four corner spots seem set with Witherspoon, Jobe, Pritchett and Neal, leaving the rest to battle for a fifth spot or to stay on the practice squad.

Nose tackle Deven Eastern (seventh round 242nd overall): Eastern was not on the field for the last few practices open to the media because of an unspecified injury. Once camp begins he’ll battle veteran Brandon Pili and undrafted rookie free agent signee Uso Seumalo for a spot in the rotation on the interior defensive line.

Cornerback Michael Dansby (seventh round, 255th overall): The Arizona product likewise got work with the backup units at cornerback and also on special teams. Special teams figures to be his best shot to make an immediate impression given the depth at cornerback.