2026 Rookie Running Back Rankings | Top Six Prospects

by John Laub · Featured
rookie running back

I first published rookie player profiles in 2014; the class quickly became one of the worst at running back in my lifetime, based on NFL success and draft value, and definitely in the past 12 drafts. Bishop Sankey, the first runner off the board, washed out of the league in two seasons. Jeremy Hill and Carlos Hyde, both taken in the second round, never lived up to expectations, combining for two 1,000-yard seasons in 13 campaigns. In the fourth round, the Patriots selected James White, who was the most productive runner in the 2014 class.

For NFL franchises and Dynasty owners, let’s hope that the Class of 2026 rises to the occasion and proves everyone wrong. I do really like Jeremiyah Love as a prospect as a top-10 selection in April. However, the rest of the class appears to consist of most likely committee runners with specific skills that could entice a team. Regardless of perceived talent, my assignment is to carefully analyze and grade the top available players for PlayerProfiler readers. Enjoy, my fellow Draftniks.

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Scholar’s 2026 Rookie Running Back Prospect Rankings

The running back rankings are based on a comprehensive analysis of performance metrics, athletic traits, and game film, with clear criteria and weightings to ensure transparency and thoroughness in evaluation. Each prospect profile includes their college resume, film breakdown of athletic skills, and Scholar’s Grade.

1. Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

Prospect Resume

During my lifetime, Jerome Bettis was the best running back to ever play in the shadow of Touchdown Jesus. Ricky Waters became one of the few Fighting Irish ball carriers to perform better in the NFL than at Notre Dame. In my thirteen years of scouting players, Kyren Williams proved the majority of Draftniks and Dynasty owners wrong, and he has risen to fantasy stardom in Los Angeles. Jeremiyah Love does not exceed Bettis among the all-time runners to wear the Navy Blue and Gold uniforms, but he ranks among the best in program history after a stellar three-year college career.

In 2025, Love was awarded the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation’s top college running back, and was a Unanimous All-American and All-American First Team selection, highlighting his elite performance and recognition. He was also a Heisman Trophy and Walter Camp Player of the Year Finalist. Starting all 12 games, Love paced the team with 1,372 rushing yards on 199 carries, averaging 6.9 ypc. The junior broke the Notre Dame record for total touchdowns in a season with 21 and tied the program record for rushing touchdowns with 18. He finished fourth with 27 receptions and tallied 280 receiving yards.

In 2024, Love led the Irish with 19 touchdowns, 17 rushing and two receiving, and paced the Irish with 1,125 rushing yards. He scored a rushing touchdown in 13-straight games and produced a team-leading five games with 100-plus rushing yards while averaging 6.9 ypc. He also broke the Notre Dame record for most consecutive games with a rushing touchdown. As a true freshman in 2023, he started in all 13 games, starting the final contest of the campaign, finishing second on the team with 385 rushing yards, averaging 5.4 ypc.

A consensus four-star recruit in high school, Love was the 69th overall prospect, fifth running back, and second-ranked player in Missouri. In 2022, he was named an Under Armour All-American and Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year. He also competed in track, winning the Missouri state title in the 100 meters with a time of 10.76 and recording a personal best of 22 feet in the long jump.


Film Breakdown and Skills

A dynamic and explosive three-down playmaker at 6’0” and 214 pounds, Love is an immediate plug-and-play prospect for a team in need of backfield assistance. With prodigious acceleration, he has track-level speed and can hit a home run at any moment. He is a patient runner who maximizes blocks and uses substantial strength with great contact balance to fall forward for extra yards. A downhill runner behind pads with good vision, Love blasts through small creases and keeps legs churning upon contact. He also employs spin moves and quick jump cuts as well as hurdling defenders to break free of would-be tacklers. He uses terrific start-stop and change-of-direction skills and protects the football—rarely turning it over. In the aerial game, he is a very good pass catcher with soft hands and an adequate pass protector.

Love has a lean frame and lacks a strong power base, which limits his ability to consistently move piles. In the past two seasons, he never earned more than 200 carries–he relied on efficiency more than volume in college. Can he be a classic bell-cow ball carrier in the NFL? He sometimes runs upright and puts himself in harm’s way with high-level athletic moves. As a receiver, he has a limited route tree and will need more reps running patterns. Love profiles as a high-end fantasy producer and earned a top 10 prospect grade in my analysis.

Scholar’s Grade: A-

2. Kaytron Allen, Penn State

Prospect Resume

As a child, I read about former Penn State greats Lydell Mitchell, Franco Harris, and Heisman winner John Cappelletti. When I was a young man, the Nittany Lions seemed to have a star in the backfield every year. In the Eighties and Nineties, Blair Thomas, Curtis Enis, Ki-Jana Carter, and Larry Johnson dominated Saturdays in College Station and were highly valued prospects.

During the past 13 campaigns, Saquon Barkley (2017) and Miles Sanders (2018) wore the Blue and White uniforms, and my scouting reports featured both runners. In 2025, Kaytron Allen established himself as one of Penn State’s top running backs, with multiple 1,000-yard seasons and a place among the all-time rushing leaders.

Over the past four seasons, Allen and Nicholas Singleton shared the backfield duties for the Nittany Lions. I had ranked Singleton ahead of Allen for the first three campaigns; nevertheless, Allen’s impressive rise last season now ranks him ahead of Singleton and second among RB prospects in this year’s crop. He rushed for a career-best 1,303 yards, averaging 6.2 ypc, and scored 15 touchdowns, adding 18 catches for 68 yards. He was named All-Big Ten First Team (coached and media), All-American Third Team (AP), and Penn State Offensive MVP.


The year before, Allen also eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark with 1,108 yards, finishing fifth in the Big Ten in rushing. He added 18 catches for 153 yards and scored 10 total touchdowns—eight rushing and two receiving. Named All-Big Ten honorable mention and offensive player of the game four times, he earned respect and admiration from Draftniks and scouts. As a true freshman in 2022, Allen scampered for 867 yards and ten scores while catching a career-high 20 catches for 188 yards and a touchdown. He was also named Freshman All-American (College Football News).

 Allen concluded his career at Penn State atop the all-time rushing list in attempts with 769 and yards with 4,180, earning respect as one of the program’s greats. He finished third in career rushing touchdowns with 39. His back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, thirteen 100-yard rushing games, and eight games with multiple rushing touchdowns highlight his impact. Allen clearly ranks among the all-time greats to run the football at Penn State, and NFL teams will surely covet the punishing back.

Film Breakdown and Skills

With a well-built frame at 5’11” and 219 pounds, Allen runs hard between the tackles with good vision, contact balance, and toughness. He excels in tight spaces between the tackles with patience, fortitude, and power. A downhill runner, the four-year competitor hits the hole as a one-cut runner, using a low pad level and thick lower body. He allows blocks to develop and bursts through the line of scrimmage with quick feet and underrated footwork. Shifty back with good leg drive, he weaves through congestion and falls forward while being tackled. A durable back, he shines in short-yardage and as a goal-line bruiser. He has scheme versatility in both gap and zone concepts. Coaches will admire his ball security and reliable hands as a pass catcher.

The two biggest concerns regarding Allen’s running wherewithal are a lack of breakaway speed and the ability to get to the edge of the defense. He is occasionally tackled from behind deep down the field and does not always beat opponents to the sideline. He needs to improve pass-catching skills and does not profile as a three-down back immediately in the NFL. In space, Allen is not a creative runner nor makes defenders whiff. In a weak running back class, Allen’s profile in my RB model pops—he exceeds many of the key benchmarks (BMI, Scrimmage Yards Dominator, PFF 10+ runs, and Yards after Contact). He profiles as a rotational back early in his career with potential to develop into a bigger role.

Scholar’s Grade: B

 

3. Jonah Coleman, Washington

Prospect Resume

One of my biggest misses in grading players over the previous 12 seasons was Bishop Sankey (2014), who wore the Huskies’ Purple and Gold uniform. After two years at Arizona, Coleman transferred to Washington and has risen in Draft rankings over the past two seasons. Happily, I do not expect Jonah Coleman to have a short two-year NFL career like Sankey.

In high school, he earned 334 carries for 3,319 yards and 58 touchdowns in four years and was a three-star recruit. He also recorded 55 receptions for 799 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a true freshman in 2022, Coleman started two games and played in all 12 for the Wildcats. He carried the ball 75 times for 372 yards and four scores. In the Territorial Cup versus in-state rival Arizona State, he punched a carry into the end zone and gained 48 rushing yards. As a sophomore, he was named All-PAC 12 honorable mention after earning 128 carries for 871 yards and five touchdowns. In two campaigns in the desert, Coleman logged 33 catches for 307 yards and a score.

 In 2024, as a member of the Huskies, he recorded his only 1,000-yard season with 1,053 on 193 carries, averaging 5.5 ypc. He was the fifteenth Husky to exceed 1,000 yards rushing and was named All-Big Ten Third Team. At the team’s postseason banquet, he collected the team’s Offensive MVP award. Last year, Coleman earned All-Big 10 honorable mentions, rushing for 758 yards and scoring 17 times. He also earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Academic team and was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award.

Film Breakdown and Skills


Coleman’s compact build, strength, good vision, and contact balance make him a tough runner to tackle. Allowing blocks to develop with patience and timing, he has fantastic short-area quickness, a low center of gravity, and a dense frame. At 5’9” and 225 pounds, the former Husky has a high BMI, which allows him to absorb big hits and break tackles easily. A bowling ball runner who pinballs off the initial defender, he packs a punch when engaged and is difficult to bring down. With great leg drive, Coleman presses the line of scrimmage with subtle moves and employs lateral cuts to burst forward. Exceptional ball security, he only fumbled once in nearly 400 career touches. He provides utility as a pass blocker, stepping into pass rushers with fearlessness, and is a very good pass-catcher with 87 career receptions.

 In November, a knee injury versus Wisconsin slowed Coleman’s final season, missing the Purdue game the next week and barely playing the following week versus UCLA. He did play in the Bowl game versus Boise State (12 carries for 85 yards and a score), but did not participate in Senior Bowl Week despite accepting an invite. He lacks elite speed, which will limit his big-play ability. In space, he cannot make defenders whiff all the time. As a receiver, a complex route tree does not appear on tape and will need to improve to earn more targets. Coleman will be selected on Day 2 of the Draft and could provide fantasy production if he lands in the right spot and becomes the team’s goal-line specialist.  

Scholar’s Grade: B

4. Jadarian Price, Notre Dame

Prospect Resume

In 2004, Auburn teammates Roonie Brown and Cadillac Williams combined for 2,078 rushing yards and led the Tigers to an undefeated 13-0 season. Both were selected among the top five picks in the 2005 NFL Draft: Brown by Miami, and Williams in Tampa Bay. In 2018, Georgia’s duo of Sony Michel and Nick Chubb was selected among the top 35 picks in the 2019 Draft: Michel by New England and Chubb by Cleveland. In the RB rankings, Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price joins Love among the top ball carriers in the Draft.

Last year behind Love, Price earned 113 carries for 674 yards and six scores. He was named an All-American Third Team (AP) and a finalist for both the Paul Hornung and Jet Awards. He averaged 6.0 yards per carry and snatched six catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns. As a special teamer, Price returned 12 kicks for 450 yards and two touchdowns. Against Purdue, he scored four times (three rushing and one kick return). In Notre Dame history, he became the first player to return multiple kicks for touchdowns over 100 yards in a season.


As a sophomore in 2023, Price ranked third on the team in rushing yards with 746, a career-best, and scored seven scores. He averaged 6.2 ypc, logged his first multi-touchdown performance versus Army, and recorded his first-career 100-yard rushing game at USC. As a redshirt freshman, he played in every game on special teams and offense, touching the ball 62 times on runs (47), catches (5), and returns (10). As a high schooler, he was a four-star prospect from Texas: the No. 158 player overall, No. 14 running back, and No. 27 in his home state. He scampered for 4,990 rushing yards in his career, and totaled 1,803 yards and a 9.3 ypc as a senior.

Film Breakdown and Skills

At 5’11” and 210 pounds, Price is a natural runner with smooth hips, light feet, and electric speed. His quickness and agility should inspire NFL scouts and analysts to see his potential for immediate impact. With good leg strength and contact balance, he combines high-end vision and excellent patience to identify creases. He has elite straight-line speed and hits home runs with great spatial awareness. Fantastic footwork in congestion, Price stacks moves to avoid tacklers and blasts upfield. He adds sudden acceleration and eliminates angles by defenders to explode into open space. Reports project that Price will record around 4.40 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the Combine or his Pro Day. He will begin his professional career with limited usage at Notre Dame and tons of thread on tires. He provides special teams utility from the first day of training camp.

Can Price handle a heavy workload and be a feature back in the NFL? He never collected more than 120 carries in a season and logged only 15 career receptions. Durability concerns after he tore his Achilles’ heel as a freshman and missed the entire first year on campus. His effectiveness is scheme-dependent, as a one-cut runner who needs a zone blocking scheme to maximize his potential. He fumbled three times at the goal line last year. He has a narrow and lean frame and is not a quick-twitch athlete with limited start-stop ability. In the passing game, he must expand his route tree and improve his pass protection. A decisive runner despite limitations, Price offers an interesting skill set with tremendous upside if he reaches his ceiling as a professional.

Scholar’s Grade: C+

5. Emmett Johnson, Nebraska

Prospect Resume

As a teenager in the ’80s, I remember the 1983 Cornhuskers as one of the most dominant and exciting offensive teams of the decade. WR Irving Fryar and RB Mike Rozier subjugated opponents on the way to a 12-0 mark. Unfortunately, they lost to Miami, 31-30, in one of the greatest Orange Bowls ever played. Rozier rushed for over 2,000 yards and won the Heisman Award. (I saw Rozier in person as a member of the Jacksonville Bulls against the New Jersey Generals in the USFL in 1985.) Since writing rookie profiles, there have not been many Cornhuskers featured, but Emmett Johnson finally represents Nebraska this year.

As the top high school player in Minnesota, Johnson earned Minnesota Mr. Football in 2021 after rushing for more than 2,500 yards and scoring 42 touchdowns in his senior season. He also exceeded 100 rushing yards in all 11 games, including seven 200-yard performances. On defense, he played safety, recording 85 tackles and 13 tackles for loss. A multi-talented competitor, Johnson also played basketball and competed in track and field.

He joined the Cornhuskers in 2022 and took a redshirt after only playing in four games as a freshman. In 2023, Johnson played in 12 games, starting six of the final seven contests. He garnered 90 carries for 411 yards and two touchdowns as Nebraska ranked second in the Big Ten in rushing. The following season, Johnson played in all 13 games, with five starts, finishing second on the team with 117 carries and 598 rushing yards, leading the team with 908 all-purpose yards, and adding 39 catches for 286 yards and two scores.

Johnson is a late bloomer who did not break out until his final season on campus in 2025. He was named an All-American Second Team, Doak Walker semifinalist, and Maxwell Award semifinalist. In the Big Ten, he received the Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year and All-Big Ten First Team honors. It was also the third consecutive year he earned Academic All-Big Ten. On the field, he became the only player in school history to have 100 rushing yards and receiving yards in a game versus UCLA. He was the first Cornhusker since 2018 to gain over 1,000 rushing yards in a season. He finished with 1,451 yards and 12 touchdowns while catching 46 passes for 370 yards and three scores. Johnson also paced the FBS by totaling for 40.7% of his team’s total yards.

Film Breakdown and Skills

Johson enters the league as a dual-threat, three-down playmaker at 5’11” and 200 pounds. A one-cut back who attacks the line of scrimmage, he has performed well in both inside and outside run plays. Stupendous vision and patience, he is a decisive, creative, and slippery ball carrier with a dense build. He carries an impressive contact balance while uncovering a crease and exploding through the hole. An uptight runner who lowers pads upon contact, he keeps legs churning while being tackled. The former Conhusker manipulates defenders and explodes upfield once space opens. With great leg strength, he darts through arm tackles and displays splendid agility to string together ankle-breeaking moves. As a prospect, his extraordinary pass-catching ability with soft hands, snatching the ball away from his body, will entice scouts. In 2025, he displayed his ability to shoulder a heavy workload.

A slight frame likely prevents Johnson from ascending into a true bell cow role at the next level. He is not overly physical at the point of attack, and occasionally, he attempts to jump outside to the perimeter. Johnson also seeks to hit a home run—despite a lack of elite speed—instead of taking the two- to four-yard gain. He lacks a strong power base as an anchor and is inconsistent as a pass protector. He must improve his pass protection skills to earn more snaps. As a route runner, he primarily ran wheel, screen, and angle routes. Johnson profiles as a rotational ball carrier who will be a third-down pass-catcher in the NFL.

Scholar’s Grade: C+

6. Mike Washington, Arkansas

Prospect Resume

It has been nearly two decades since the Razorbacks trotted out a backfield with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Both players rushed for over 2,900 career yards and were selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Last fall, Mike Washington scampered for over 1,000 yards. This spring, he leaves Fayetteville, Arkansas, to pursue his professional career.

 If a Dynasty football diehard has not watched film on Washington, it is time to place the former Arkansas runner on a ‘to-do’ watch list. His tape highlights high-level skills, and the RB model spotlights professional success. Washington has taken a long journey to rise up Draftboards in 2026. Last year, he pounded the opposition 167 times for 1,070 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Washington tacked on 28 catches for 226 yards and a score. He established career-bests in carries, yards, and average yards per carry (6.4) as a member of the Razorbacks. Washington was named to the All-SEC Second Team.

Before concluding his college tenure at Arkansas, Washington played at Buffalo and New Mexico State. As an Aggie in 2024, he toted the pigskin 157 times for 725 yards and eight scores. He played three seasons at Buffalo from 2021 to 2023. For the Bulls, he rushed for 1,119 yards and scored eight times. During his career, he corralled 73 passes for 470 yards and a touchdown. In high school, Washington was a three-star recruit from Cicero, NY, and played on both sides of the ball.

Film Breakdown and Skills

A muscular and well-built frame at 6’2” and 228 pounds, Washington has fantastic feet for a power back. He also displays excellent contact balance. A physical ball carrier, he can absorb the punishment of the position. He has very good stop-and-start ability and accelerates easily. A one-cut runner, he hits creases with authority and blasts forward for maximum yardage. He is aggressive throughout the hole and rapidly smashes through open lanes. For a bigger back, he has impressive quick-twitch movement skills and utilizes breakaway speed to hit a home run in the open field.

 If Washington is going to become an impactful fantasy contributor, he must focus on improving ball security (10 fumbles in college) and pass protection (better blitz recognition and technique). An upright runner, he occasionally looks stiff, lacks loose hips, and has limited agility and lateral quickness. He was an adequate pass-catcher, although he ran a limited route tree. The NFL will clearly value Washington in a committee role, which caps fantasy upside. That said, he could be a bell cow ball carrier in the right situation.

Scholar’s Grade: C+

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