THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: A Price to pay picking last for Seattle

John Schneider faced the media crowd and laughed.

“It’s the pick everybody wants,” he said.

Schneider was talking about No. 32, which is pretty damn special in the NFL draft.

Life’s great when you’re picking last.

That final choice belongs, of course, to the Super Bowl champion, and never mind that it meant that the Seahawks started the draft with 31 selections ahead of you.

Everyone in the league would take that trade-off.

Hug the Lombardi Trophy, every time.

However.

Having said emphatically that the 32nd pick was the magic choice, Schneider was considered a cinch to give it away during the draft.

Whoa!

He didn’t.

Instead, John and his staff continued their belief in running backs — once again landing a combo speed/strength banger ahead of most teams’ rating.

The surprise runner this time was Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price, who split duties last season with the more hyped Jeremiyah Love (No. 3 overall to Arizona).

Now, NFL general managers are not above fibbing.

Or changing their mind when the next great tight end falls to their spot on the board.

For the record, though, Schneider told the Seattle media flat-out that he wanted numbers in this draft.

Surely, John MEANT that he’d trade out of the first round.

But one last look at Price on tape …

Oh, yeah!

IN THE meantime (all day and night Thursday), while the Seahawks supposedly were waiting for an offer to add some lower-round selections, they watched the board.

Specifically, they kept beady eyes on the Rams and 49ers, who are rivals in the NFC West — and according to plenty of football news hounds, the two teams in the group most likely to prevent Seattle from repeating as Super Bowl winners.

The Rams, in particular, are just about even with the Hawks on betting markets, although maneuvers Thursday night may juggle the odds.

The Rams were +750 to win the Super Bowl, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with Seattle right behind at +950.

The assumption beginning the evening was that L.A. would grab immediate help with the 13th choice — perhaps edge rusher Reuben Bain to shore up a critical position.

Then, a surprise!

The Rams decided to rock a strategy made famous by Green Bay (Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love) and San Francisco (Joe Montana, Steve Young), drafting a quarterback specifically to step in for a veteran superstar sometime down the road.

In this case, it was Alabama’s Ty Simpson, who will be groomed to replace 38-year-old Matthew Stafford.

The bad news is that Stafford isn’t going anywhere just yet, and he threw for about a trillion yards against Seattle last year.

The Rams were the one team that Mike Macdonald’s defense struggled to stop last season.

At least young Simpson isn’t likely to torment the Hawks this year.

IN FACT, it was the 49ers who traded out of the first round.

Curiously, the Seahawks did nothing.

Teams came along, made picks, stepped aside — and we got into the 20s.

Suddenly, the truth came home: Seattle was going to keep the pick and give the honor of No. 32 to a surprise athlete.

This was a John Schneider choice, top to bottom.

And the more you see of Price, the more you realize that the Seahawks fell into that wonderful spot where you find an athlete who jumps off the board — and it’s a player at a position you need.

Nope.

Here’s a thumbnail scouting report from ESPN’s Matt Miller:

“Price was never the starter for the Fighting Irish, but he was good enough that the team was comfortable taking Jeremiyah Love off the field for stretches of time.

“Price has elite vision in the open field and the speed to turn short runs into big plays — and fast enough to run three kick returns back for touchdowns.

“The Seahawks needed a replacement for Kenneth Walker III, and Price's inside/outside slasher ability will play great next to Zach Charbonnet.”

Miller added that Price was particularly dangerous on stretch plays.

That’s the Seahawks.

Has Schneider done it again?

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On."