The 2025 NFL season is still underway, but the 2026 NFL Draft will be here before we know it. Shortly after that, dynasty managers everywhere will enter their rookie drafts, looking to land young players who will be stars for years to come. Today, I’ll highlight three 2026 rookie running backs that you will want to know when that time comes: two “gems” to target and one “landmine” to ignore.
PlayerProfiler is home to award-winning dynasty rankings and tools. Our Dynasty Deluxe package includes complete Dynasty Rankings, Rookie Rankings, Trade Analyzer, Draft Planner, Mock Drafts, and more. Check it out.
Dynasty Rookie Running Back Gems
Emmett Johnson, Nebraska
Emmett Johnson arrived at Nebraska as a three-star recruit from Minnesota. He was named Mr. Football in high school for rushing for over 2,500 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns. He was also a two-way player, registering 85 tackles and 13 tackles for a loss as a safety. As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in 12 games, starting six and totaling 411 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
As a sophomore, Johnson was a change-of-pace back who finished second on the team with 598 rushing yards on 117 carries. He also caught 39 balls to lead the Huskers with 908 all-purpose yards in 2024. This was the foreshadowing for his breakout season in 2025.
Cue 2025: Johnson exploded on the scene for the Cornhuskers with 1,451 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 46 receptions, 370 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns. He was the only consistent player on the entire team. Every time he got the ball, his elite contact balance allowed him to be constantly moving forward, rarely ever losing yardage on a play.
Johnson’s vision to set up his blocks is poetry in motion. He could see every defender’s next step and make them look absolutely silly with a well-timed juke or spin. This vision also allowed him to avoid taking massive hits, which allowed him to be a bell cow back. He had eight games of 100 yards rushing, often wearing teams down by the end of games. On top of his excellent running ability, his route running and catching skills made him a terror for the opposing defense. He was much more than a dump-off option; he can catch the ball in stride without losing a step.
The only glaring weakness Johnson has is pass-blocking skills. He lacks the size and strength to truly take on bull rushers. Thankfully, his frame could allow him to gain some muscle and strength to be an adequate blocker if he needs to be. His receiving ability may also be too good to keep him in blocking.
Johnson, at 6-0, 200-pounds, may not be the fastest, biggest, or strongest running back, but his vision, lateral agility, burst, patience, and receiving skills make him one of the best backs in this draft. Any creative offensive coordinator would love to key up plays to utilize his skill set. He compares to former Bears running back Matt Forte in terms of his smooth running and receiving skills. I have Emmett Johnson as my RB2 behind only Notre Dame superstar Jeremiyah Love in dynasty. Depending on where he lands, Johnson could be a top-five pick in dynasty rookie drafts due to his dual-threat ability.
Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
Before arriving at Penn State, Singleton was named the national Gatorade player of the year. He was absolutely phenomenal as a true freshman in 2022. He ran for 1,061 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, a Penn State freshman record. As a sophomore, Singleton developed his pass-catching and pass-blocking skills and still scored 10 touchdowns while sharing the backfield.
He had his best season as a junior, rushing for 1,099 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns to go with 41 receptions, 375 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns. That great season happened all while his teammate Kaytron Allen also ran for over 1,000 yards. Despite being a potential top draft pick at running back in the NFL, Singleton returned to Penn State for his senior year in 2025.
The 2025 Nittany Lions were not a good team, despite their national championship aspirations. The only bright spots were the running backs in Singleton and Allen. Even then, Singleton had the lowest rushing yardage output of his career with only 549 yards, although he did set a new career-high with 13 rushing touchdowns. Kaytron Allen was the lead back for most of the season.
Still, this doesn’t take away from Singleton’s athletic skills and physical traits. At 6-0, 224-pounds, and with a reported 4.39 forty-yard dash, Singleton is an athletic freak of nature. He even broke Saquon Barkley‘s Penn State record with a 655-pound squat. Should he test at the NFL Combine, Singleton may post numbers that place him among the most athletic RBs of all time. I expect him to land in the top 10 in our database for Athleticism Score, a very impressive feat. The type of numbers that will make NFL teams and fantasy managers drool.
My player comparison for Singleton would be early-career David Johnson. He will terrorize defenders with his top-end speed — he was once clocked at 23 mph — destroying tackling angles. When defenders do reach him, they had better wrap up tight, or they will be run over.
Singleton is my RB3 behind Jeremiyah Love and the aforementioned Emmett Johnson. Singleton is a first-round dynasty pick should he land on a team with an established quarterback and offense, but no clear RB1, like the Kansas City Chiefs or Houston Texans.
Dynasty Rookie Running Back Landmine
Jonah Coleman, Washington
Coleman came out of high school with very impressive production. He racked up 3,319 rushing yards and 58 rushing touchdowns along with 799 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. Despite those numbers, he only earned a three-star consensus rating heading into college. He eventually committed to play for Arizona.
At Arizona, Coleman appeared in 25 games in two years, accruing 1,243 yards and 10 touchdowns. After those two years, he followed his head coach, Jedd Fisch, to Washington. In Washington, Coleman had a breakout season, racking up 1,053 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, along with 23 receptions and 177 receiving yards.
As a senior, Coleman took a step back in rushing production with just 758 rushing yards. However, he did score his career high in rushing touchdowns with 15. He also recorded 31 receptions, 354 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns.
These numbers sound exactly like what you want in a dynasty running back, but Coleman’s tape shows a back with limited athleticism and poor pass protection skills. He will not be separating from defenders in the open field and he isn’t getting open as a receiver on his own. Coleman’s best traits are his durability, ball security, and contact balance. He can be a serviceable back for a team, but he isn’t going to be the reason his team is winning.
Coleman is still the RB8 in my early dynasty rankings. But he will likely be drafted before I am willing to take him in most rookie drafts. Like Singleton, he will be more intriguing if he lands on a high-powered offense with no running back depth, a la the Kansas City Chiefs. But if that happens, his overall stock will rise, and he will likely still be drafted much higher than I am willing to pull the trigger.
For more articles from PlayerProfiler, check out the fantasy home page – NFL Fantasy | PlayerProfiler – Fantasy Football News & Media
Jesse Baldwin is a fantasy football contributor for PlayerProfiler. Find him on X at J_Baldwin51.
