In the year 2026, the running back position may be the easiest one to project from college to the NFL. Good running backs in college tend to make good running backs in the NFL. Shocking, right? But other positions really don’t work that way as much as running back does, thanks to how naturally the skills and techniques carry over to the next level. Here are our top RBs from the 2026 NFL draft class:
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1. Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
I am very rarely one to call a prospect “can’t-miss,” but that’s exactly what Jeremiyah Love is. He’s one of the best football players in this draft, regardless of position. His advanced metrics in college, such as “yards created” or “rush yards over expectation,” were off the charts due to his ability to make defenders miss and then take a run to the house. Add that to the fact that he has sprinter speed and a track record of great character, and you have a nearly ideal RB prospect. He is going to be an all-pro for years to come and will not fall out of the top-10 in this draft.
2. Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
Price is a tricky evaluation because of the fact that he played his entire career alongside other elite Notre Dame running backs and was never the workhorse. But can we really hold that against him? He’s a very fluid athlete who gets the most out of every run, consistently breaks arm tackles and falls forward, and has great vision in zone concepts. Just because he wasn’t RB1 at Notre Dame doesn’t mean that he can’t be RB1 for a team in the NFL, and his ability to return kicks could help him secure an instant role in the league.
3. Jonah Coleman, Washington
In his time at Arizona and Washington, Coleman showed to be a true workhorse back at the college level who excelled in all 3 downs. He’s on the shorter side, but he weighs 220 pounds, and it showed up in games where he proved hard to bring down and maximized every run. The detractions here are that he was often brought down by arm tackles, and he lacks top-end speed to hit explosive runs at a high rate. I expect a solid career for Coleman, but don’t expect him to start right away in the NFL.
4. Kaytron Allen, Penn State
The first back in the second duo of teammates that you will see on this list, I see Kaytron Allen as a very safe, high-floor prospect. If you watched him in college, you saw a guy who was efficient in every way. He made the most out of every run, falls forward, and has great balance and vision as a back. He’s just not an elite-level athlete at the NFL level, but that has never stopped backs like Allen from being productive before.
5. Nick Singleton, Penn State
I have Singleton ranked just behind his Penn State teammate Kaytron Allen because I just think Allen is better at playing the running back position. Singleton, however, is the more dynamic athlete of the two and is a great pass-catcher out of the backfield. He just didn’t break enough tackles in college to enable me to rank him much higher. If you can’t break tackles in college, you’re not likely to break a lot in the NFL.
6. Emmett Johnson, Nebraska
What Emmett Johnson did this past season was impressive. He essentially carried the entire Nebraska offense on his shoulders, and that load expanded even more after QB Dylan Raiola got hurt. He was a true 3-down back who excelled in zone run schemes with great vision and agility, and displayed great ability as a receiver out of the backfield. But he’s just not very big, very powerful, or very fast, and his performance at the combine did him no favors in this regard.
7. Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest
Running back is a crowded position in the NFL, and sometimes a career can be make-or-break on just being able to secure a roster spot in a back’s first season in the NFL. The good news for Claiborne is that he has a transferable, marketable skill that most backs do not have – he is an elite kick return option. This return ability may help him secure a spot, but he has the ability to do more than just that. He’s got blazing speed, and really excelled in zone runs where his ability to make a defender miss and accelerate allowed him to break long runs in the ACC.
8. Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas
I’m not the biggest “player comp” guy, because every prospect is unique in their own way. But Mike Washington Jr reminds me so much of Latavius Murray. Both are taller, bigger backs who possess elite speed, but don’t really run with power or break a lot of tackles. Latavius Murray was a fine NFL player for a few seasons, but he always felt like a little bit of an underachiever given his physical tools. Washington feels like he is destined for that same path.
9. Adam Randall, Clemson
I am very intrigued by Randall as a prospect. Back in 2024, he was a wide receiver for Clemson who filled in at RB against Texas in the College Football Playoff when Clemson had injuries at the position. In 2025, he was a full-time running back. He’s very big and physical for the position, and in the open field he displays the long strides that you see from a wide receiver. Allow a year or two for him to build his body as a running back, and this could be a very productive NFL player.
10. Seth McGowan, Kentucky
McGowan was a very good running back on a very bad Kentucky team last season. He’s a decisive, powerful runner who routinely scraps for extra yards. But he’s not without concern, as legal issues forced him out of college football for a year, and he turns 25 during his rookie season. Expect him to fill an immediate role as a short-yardage/goal-line back.
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