The two biggest needs for the Seattle Seahawks this draft were running back and defensive back depth. Seattle addressed both with their first two picks by selecting running back Jadarian Price in the first round, and safety Bud Clark in the second. The Seahawks decided to not trade back from those rounds and instead ended up with two starting caliber players to help them on their title defense season.

We at Seahawks Wire have once again taken the time to grade the Seahawks on their decision to draft Bud Clark, as we did with Jadarian Price in round one. Here is our analysis on Clark:

The Seahawks needed to find a way to replace the loss of Coby Bryant and they did so with Clark. A versatile defensive back that can play all over the field simply screams "Mike Macdonald" all over it. Clark is also another guy who spent his entire college career at one school, which speaks to his loyalty - something Macdonald raved about when discussing Jadarian Price. Seattle continues to put a premium on men of high character. Still, while I like the pick, I do think they perhaps should have drafted a pure cornerback. The Seahawks are now deep at safety with Julian Love, Nick Emmanwori, Ty Okada and Rodney Clark II. Perhaps Clark will see most of his action at cornerback. However, the 12's should have full confidence in Macdonald finding a perfect spot for yet another chess piece.

Bud Clark is a true versatile safety. He produced a ton of takeaways and pass breakups at TCU through athleticism and high football IQ. Clark is also an excellent communicator in the secondary, which is a trait Mike Macdonald will appreciate.

Bud Clark's game is built around physicality and smarts. Those traits are essential to defending the run out of 2 high safety looks. As pure a 1:1 of a Coby Bryant replacement as you could possibly get, and a well-planned scheme fit.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: grading the Bud Clark pick for the Seahawks