Rookie RB Eyes Vikings as Draft Destination
The Minnesota Vikings have a full stable of running backs on the 2026 menu, with Jordan Mason, Aaron Jones, and Zavier Scott set to return once again. Meanwhile, the club could still add a rookie, and per Jadarian Price’s lips, he wouldn’t mind joining the purple team.
Minnesota’s RB plans may still include a Day 2 or Day 3 addition.
The Notre Dame tailback spoke with Kay Adams this week, and Minnesota is on his list.
Price’s Skill Set Fits Kevin O’Connell’s Offense
Fans would not be mad about Price as the running back of the future.
Price to Adams: Vikings Would Be Nice for Next Team
Price spoke with Adams, and naturally, the pair spoke about his future, as the draft is five weeks away.
Adams walked through possible destinations, and she asked about the Vikings. Price replied, “Minnesota, huh? That’d be nice. Kyler Murray, Texas boy — shout out to Texas. Justin Jefferson … the best receiver in the league.”
Of course, fans took that as a ringing endorsement, especially because Minnesota could be in the market for a rookie tailback. It hasn’t drafted a quality one since Dalvin Cook in 2017 and Alexander Mattison in 2019.
Where to Get Price in the Draft
Price is currently slated as a 2nd-Rounder in next month’s draft, with the Consensus Big Board listing him at No. 48 as of March 19th. Believe it or not, this is ideal for Minnesota, the club that currently possesses the 49th overall pick in Round 2. It’s the first time in four years that the Vikings haven’t traded their 2nd-Rounder before the draft.
If Minnesota has to wait on Price at No. 48, it will certainly have to sweat. Price is expected to be the second running back taken after his running back teammate, Jeremiyah Love, flies off the board in the Top 12 picks. RB-needy teams will circle Price as the next best thing after Love, so the likelihood of him tumbling to No. 49 will be a pressure cooker for Vikings fans on the second night of the draft — if Price falls that far at all.
Price’s Scouting Report
Price played second fiddle to Love at Notre Dame — go figure — but he banked 1,854 yards from scrimmage and 24 total touchdowns in three seasons, which included 41 games. He averaged 6.0 yards per attempt and is 5’11 and 205 pounds. Price logged a 4.49 forty at the Combine. He’s known for his smooth running style, vision, and breakaway ability. Fumbles may be a concern.
A fair historical comp is probably something between Tony Pollard and Javonte Williams.
NFL Draft Buzz on Price: “The Combine did Price no favors. His tape tells one story: a decisive, versatile weapon who presses holes with patience and punishes defenders who take bad angles. The measurables tell a slightly different one, that of a back who checked in lighter than expected and timed out in good-but-not-great territory at 4.49 in the forty.”
“The truth, as it usually does, probably sits somewhere in the middle. He is a talented back whose production benefited from a favorable situation, but whose instincts and contact balance are undeniably his own. His fit remains strongest in zone-heavy schemes that get backs to the perimeter and let them use their eyes.”
Some have suggested the Seattle Seahawks could reach for Price at the end of Round 1 with the 32nd pick after Kenneth Walker III’s free-agent departure to the Kansas City Chiefs.
TBD continued, “Price presses the edge, waits for his blockers to develop leverage, and then plants and gets vertical with a burst that looked faster on film than his Combine number suggested.”
“He is not a back you hand the ball 25 times a game, but in a world where the NFL is moving toward committee approaches and valuing backs who stress defenses as receivers, Price checks a lot of boxes. His ability to split out wide and run routes from the slot is real, not just a projection.”
Other RB Options
Suppose the Vikings don’t land either Notre Dame runner and are forced to examine another rookie. Before the end of Round 4, according to the mock draft community, these tailbacks should be available:
- Kaytron Allen (Penn State)
- Jonah Coleman (Washington)
- Emmett Johnson (Nebraska)
- Nick Singleton (Penn State)
- Mike Washington Jr. (Arkansas)
Minnesota met with Johnson from Nebraska at the Combine and has also chatted with Wake Forest’s Demond Claiborne, who is expected to be picked in Round 5.
Price will turn 23 in October.
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