Draft-Week Buzz
- 2026-04-16 [Eagles visit] — PHI hosted — RB2 target for their zone scheme
- 2026-04-08 [Pro Day] — 4.30 40 — fastest RB time in the class
- 2026-03-30 [Healthy] — Fully cleared after 2023 ACL tear
Buzz items pulled from beat-writer reports, ESPN/NFL.com transactions, Pro Day recaps, and verified Top 30 visit reports in the 30 days leading into the 2026 NFL Draft. Each linked headline goes to the original source. See our full draft-week news tab for cross-prospect timeline.
Scouting Nugget: Love's change-of-pace; sub-4.30 timed speed
Expanded bio coming soon. This prospect is Running Back #2 in the 2026 class.
Scouting Profile
Combine / Pro Day Measurables (reported)
| 40-yard dash | 4.30 |
| Vertical jump (in) | 38.5 |
| Broad jump | 10'8" |
| Bench press (225 reps) | 15 reps |
| 3-cone drill | 6.78 |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.10 |
| Wingspan | 73.5" |
| Hand size | 9 1/4" |
Numbers compiled from NFL Scouting Combine results, Pro Day box scores, and beat-writer reports. "Reported" means cross-referenced against multiple sources; verify on nfl.com/combine for definitive marks.
College Career Stats
- 2023 Notre Dame (Fr): 43 carries, 262 yds, 2 TD
- 2024 ND (So): 86 carries, 531 yds, 4 TD — complementary back to Love
- 2025 ND (Jr): 121 carries, 712 yds, 6 TD, 15 rec/132 yds
Strengths
- Sub-4.3 speed — fastest RB in the class
- Home-run hitter — 23% of his carries gained 10+ yards in 2025
- Pass-catching upside — Notre Dame used him as a route runner
- Complementary-back pedigree; won't be asked to carry NFL workload
Weaknesses / Areas to Develop
- Power back duty unrealistic at 5-10, 205
- Short-yardage rate (1st down within 1 yard) below average
- Career backup behind Love — limited lead-back experience
NFL Pro Comparison
Devin Singletary (with more burst) — change-of-pace back with receiving skills and third-down specialist role
Mock-Draft Consensus
| ESPN (Jordan Reid) | PFF Big Board | Jeremiah Top 50 | Consensus Avg | Realistic Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #53 | #56 | — | #54.5 | Picks 40-80 |
30-day trend: Rising — RB depth spike
Ranks cross-referenced from ESPN's Jordan Reid top-500, PFF's 2026 Big Board top-200, and Daniel Jeremiah's top-50 (NFL.com). Realistic draft-night range reflects projected team fit and trade scenarios, not just big-board placement.
Advanced Stats & Production
| 2025 PFF grade | 79.4 |
| Yards per carry | 5.9 |
| Yards after contact/att | 3.2 |
| Explosive run rate (10+) | 23% |
| Receiving PFF | 77.1 |
Metrics blended from PFF grade sheets, school box scores, and Combine/Pro Day box scores. Position-specific: QB shows efficiency + turnover rates, WR/TE show route-running + contested-catch, OL shows pass-block grade + pressures allowed, EDGE/IDL show pass-rush win rate + pressure rate, LB/DB show coverage grade + missed-tackle rate.
Outcome Range
- Floor: RB3 / return specialist
- Median: 1B back in committee, 800-1,000 total yards
- Ceiling: Pro Bowl change-of-pace in a pass-heavy offense
Scheme Fit
Outside-zone scheme with heavy passing-game involvement; Shanahan / McVay / Ben Johnson offense
Pre-Draft Visits
Top-30 visits with the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, and Houston Texans
Signature College Game
2025 vs USC: 13 carries, 142 yds, 2 TDs + 4 rec / 58 yds in relief of Love — proof of concept as a featured back
Sources
Our scouting profile is assembled from these primary sources + cross-checked against ESPN (Kiper / Reid / Miller), PFF's 2026 Big Board, Dane Brugler's The Beast 2026, and Daniel Jeremiah's top-50. See our full methodology and citations.
NFL Scheme Fit
NFL Scheme Fit
- Wide-zone outside-rush attack
San Francisco 49ers · Detroit Lions · Miami Dolphins · Atlanta Falcons
Scheme matches are bucketed from the prospect's height, weight, and (for WRs) archetype tag against a static lookup of which NFL teams currently run each scheme family.
Rookie Contract & Landing-Spot Outlook
Projected Rookie Contract Value
~$8.0M – $13.0M (4-year deal) · Pick range: #33-64 · ~85% guaranteed
Mid-pick band — guarantee % varies pick-to-pick
Best-Case / Worst-Case Landing Spot
Why: runs a scheme that maximizes his profile.
Year-1 arc: Day-1 starter window with cap-controlled rookie-contract production.
Why: RB not in their stated top-5 needs; runs a scheme that doesn't naturally amplify his profile.
Year-1 arc: Depth-chart competition + special-teams reps as Year-1 baseline.
Contract band uses the 2026 NFL CBA rookie wage scale projected from the prospect's expected pick range; guarantee % is the slot-default at that pick. Landing-spot best/worst case is derived from TEAMS data (positional needs + scheme overlap minus same-position R1 conflicts) — not a claim that either team has expressed interest.
By the Numbers — 2026 Class Context
- Frame: Among 2026 RB prospects, his 5-10 / 210 lbs frame sits at the 46th percentile in height and 54th percentile in weight.
- Position class: Jadarian Price is RB #2 of 28 ranked RBs in the 2026 class. Of those, 2 are projected in the R2 range.
- School pipeline: Notre Dame has 2 RBs in the 2026 NFL Draft class (6 total prospects from the school).
Computed factually from the 2026 prospect class roster — height/weight percentiles benchmark this player against every other ranked prospect at the same position. Recruiting arc compares his high-school 247Sports/Rivals composite to his current projected round.
Jadarian Price’s NFL Archetype: James Cook
James Cook (Buffalo Bills)
Closest RB physical profile in the modern NFL: 5-10/210 lbs. Same frame, same role bucket — NOT a talent or career-arc projection.
Note: this is a physical-profile match — frame, position, role bucket. Not a talent or career-arc projection.
Similar Running Back Prospects
Closest matches to Jadarian Price (5-10 / 210 lbs, #2 RB) by ranking proximity and physical profile. SIZE MATCH = within 1″ height and 10 lbs; TIER MATCH = within 2 ranking spots.
- Mike Washington Jr.SIZE MATCH Arkansas · 5-11/220 lbs · #3 RB · R2-R3
- Jeremiyah LoveTIER MATCH Notre Dame · 6-0/206 lbs · #1 RB · R1 top 5
- Jonah ColemanTIER MATCH Washington · 5-9/225 lbs · #4 RB · R3
- Jadon Coats Purdue · 6-0/210 lbs · #5 RB · R3-R4
- Seth McGowanSIZE MATCH Kentucky · 5-10/210 lbs · #9 RB · R4-R5
Notre Dame & The 2026 Class
More from Notre Dame
- Devonta Smith · CB #24 · R7
- Billy Schrauth · IOL #9 · R4
- Jeremiyah Love · RB #1 · R1 top 5
- Eli Raridon · TE #8 · R4
- Malachi Fields · WR #9 · R2-R3
Other R2 prospects in the 2026 class
Different positions, same projected draft tier as Jadarian Price.
- Garrett Nussmeier · QB · LSU
- KC Concepcion · WR · Texas A&M
- Chris Bell · WR · Louisville
- Germie Bernard · WR · Alabama
- Eli Stowers · TE · Vanderbilt
- Caleb Lomu · OT · Utah