Bear Digest

Jadarian Price should be on the Bears’ radar in the 2026 NFL Draft

The dynamic running back could immediately step in as the Bears’ top runner if they took him on Day 2.
Khari Thompson|
Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price (24), on his way to score a touchdown, avoids a tackle attempt by Syracuse defensive back Cornell Perry (19) in the first half of a NCAA football game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in South Bend.
Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price (24), on his way to score a touchdown, avoids a tackle attempt by Syracuse defensive back Cornell Perry (19) in the first half of a NCAA football game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears’ running game has improved tremendously from where it started the season. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be looking to upgrade in the 2026 NFL draft. 

While they could certainly wait until Day 3 to do so, as they did with Kyle Monangai this year, my gut tells me Ben Johnson might come to like a Notre Dame running back who just declared for the draft.

And no, I don’t mean Jeremiyah Love, the best back in this year’s class and a surefire first-round pick if ever there was one at the position this year.

I’m talking about his teammate, Jadarian Price, whom some Notre Dame fans might tell you is the better pure runner of the two.

The only reason Price, a redshirt junior with the Fighting Irish, didn’t put up the gaudy numbers you’d typically associate with one of the best running backs in the class is because one of the five best players in the entire country (Love) was on the depth chart ahead of him. And yet, Price still put up 746 and 674 rushing yards, respectively, in his final two seasons at Notre Dame, averaging a whopping six yards on his limited carries.

On top of that, Price totaled 24 touchdowns from scrimmage (21 rushing, three receiving) and was a monster on kick returns, logging three return touchdowns in his college career and leading all of Division-I football with a 37.5 yards per return average and two scores this season.

Long story short: put the ball in his hands, and good things happen.

Price has legitimate getaway speed when he gets into the clear; you can’t miss it on the tape. He and Love both should run in the sub.-4.5 range in the 40 whenever they take the track this coming spring.

He’s also a tackle-breaking machine, rarely going down on arm tackles (much like his teammate) and making defenses pay when they don’t get him down immediately.

Though Price can get a little bounce-happy with his runs because of that elite speed, he’s also proven he can run tough between the tackles and catch the ball when it’s thrown to him. Imagining him in an outside-zone scheme like Chicago’s that allows him to make one quick cut and hit the gas is exciting.

The Bears, of course, invested heavily in their offense last season with Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III coming to Chicago in the first two rounds. This year, they need to replenish their defensive ranks with blue-chip talent.

But if Johnson thinks Price is the best player at his position when the Bears pick in the second round, much as Burden was this year despite the Bears already having wide receivers, don’t sleep on this pick. Much like many of Price’s runs, it could be a home run for the Bears.

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Khari Thompson
KHARI THOMPSON

Khari Thompson is a veteran journalist with bylines in NPR, USA TODAY, and others. He’s been covering the Chicago Bears since 2016 for a variety of outlets and served as a New England Patriots beat reporter for Boston.com and WEEI 93.7 FM. When he’s not writing about football, he still enjoys playing it.

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