If the Seattle Seahawks do look for a running back in the NFL Draft, they may be able to land one right in their own backyard.
Former Washington Huskies running back Jonah Coleman recently had a local visit with the Seahawks, which is an important distinction to make because that means he does not count toward Seattle’s top 30 visits total. In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Justin Melo, Coleman brought up his time meeting with John Schneider and new running backs coach Thomas Hammock.
Jonah Coleman: I had formal interviews at the NFL Combine with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and Houston Texans. I visited the Seattle Seahawks. I met the GM [John Schneider] and that was great. I had a great conversation with their running backs coach. We saw eye-to-eye on literally everything we were talking about. We ran an identical offense at Washington to many NFL teams. The terminology was very similar.
I have in-person visits with the Broncos and Minnesota Vikings in early April. The New Orleans Saints are working me out. This entire process has been great. We’ve been getting to know each other.
Coleman’s best year came in 2024 when he rushed over over 1,000 yards on just 193 carries. A knee injury limited him to just eight games played in his senior year, although he still rushed for 5.1 yards per attempt and 13 touchdowns. Speed is not the name of Coleman’s game, but at 5’8” and 220 pounds he is a compactly built runner with good vision and is not easy to bring down. Here’s Lance Zierlein’s quick scouting report summary:
Team captain and productive three-down back. Coleman has a clear understanding of run-blocking schemes and protection duties. He knows where blocks are likely to develop and finds those spots. However, he lacks speed as an outside runner and has average burst between the tackles. He’s more of a tackle-slipper than a tackle-breaker, so it’s imperative that Coleman plays at a brisker pace to stay ahead of closing defenders. He projects as a Day 3 option who can compete for a job as a three-down backup.
A very important stat to note is Coleman only lost one fumble in college, which is a plus when you consider the elite ball security Seattle has enjoyed with Zach Charbonnet and former starter Kenneth Walker III.
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Coleman did not run the 40-yard dash at his Pro Day, which feels notable given that is not one of his strengths, but being Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson fast is not an absolute requirement to be a good NFL running back. There’s no chance he is drafted in the first round and isn’t likely to be a second round option, but he could be available in that Round 3-4 range.
As is virtually an annual tradition, there is usually a lot of understandable clamoring for the Seahawks to look at drafting former Huskies. The reality is they’ve rarely done that regardless of who the general manager is. Under John Schneider, the only drafted Huskies are Ben Burr-Kirven (2019) and Will Dissly (2018). The last UW player to get selected by Seattle before Dissly? Believe it or not, Jerramy Stevens in the first round of the 2002 draft. A whopping 12 Huskies have been drafted by the Seahawks in 50 seasons, with only four in the top 100.
Nevertheless, Coleman is going to be an intriguing possible running back target for Seattle as the team rebuilds its backfield.
Watch his Arizona and Washington highlights below.
