The 2026 NFL draft certainly isn’t known for running backs. It may be one of the shallowest classes we’ve ever had. It’s night and day from last year, 2025, when backs with starting potential were taken on Day 3 (Cameron Skattebo and Kyle Monangai). Still, it’s no excuse for teams not to scout the position or just gloss over it as a whole.

Depth may not be there, but there are still quality prospects, and while a ton may not have starting running back upside in the NFL, they all bring a certain skill into an NFL backfield, giving teams more options to choose from in certain moments.

Here are my top-10 running backs in this year’s NFL draft.

1. Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

Love is the best player in this class, according to my top-100 big board. He has elite size for the NFL at 6 feet and 212 pounds, and at that size runs a 4.36 40. He has three-down back potential, with the ability to run the ball and catch it out of the backfield. His burst is the main reason he’s at the top of this class. He has the quick feet to make guys miss and stay at top speed throughout. He had over 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns for Notre Dame this year and forced 56 missed tackles while doing so.

He was named the 2022 Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year in high school and was a multisport athlete playing basketball and track. He won a state championship in the 100 meters as a sophomore, setting a personal-best time of 10.54 seconds. That answers where the speed came from. It all depends on where Love lands on draft night. He has the talent to raise the floor of any offense, but depending on the situation, he could have a rough rookie year like Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty had a year ago.

2. Jadarian Price, Notre Dame

Price played backup to Love for the past two years, but every time he got the ball, he made it count. He totaled 674 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Fighting Irish, averaging six yards per carry. He doesn’t just make an impact in the running game but also in the return game, scoring three touchdowns on kick returns during his college career.

He’s a smart running knowing how to manipulate the angles of defenders when he has the ball. Can stretch runs to have defenders run into traffic or into blocks to his advantage. Cuts up field in an instant when he sees a slice of room, but on top of it all, he’s patient. Won’t force anything, but it still hurts him. Was too patient at times. Doesn’t have the contact balance of Love, but certainly has the talent to be a No. 1 back for a team that runs primarily outside zone.

3. Jonah Coleman, Washington

Watching Coleman, he just looks like a bowling ball running the ball, and is hard to bring down. Has a stocky build, being 5-foot-8 and 220 pounds, and he didn’t run a 40 throughout the process. He’s not just the typical big back who looks to run people over; he has the feet mixed with elusiveness to make tight cuts and gain extra yardage. On top of it, he’s a fantastic receiver out of the backfield and reliable when he’s targeted. I felt like he’d struggled in a real zone scheme and would thrive on more of a duo/power running attack.

Coleman had a down year, with 759 yards, but still had 15 touchdowns. He’s a great Day 2 target for a team that needs a versatile back to add to their running back room.

4. Emmett Johnson, Nebraska

Johnson isn’t the fastest back, and it’s obvious when you watch him. He had a 4.56 40 at the combine, but he’s more of a quicker than fast type of prospect. He can be a three-down back in the NFL, runs the ball well, and can catch and pass protect. His natural hands, combined with his ball-tracking ability, stood out to me. He has a pretty good overall balance when making cuts and can make guys miss in tight spaces. Johnson had 1,450 yards this season, 12 touchdowns, and forced 68 missed tackles (more than Love). He added 370 receiving yards, having 297 touches overall for the season.

Grew up playing multiple sports in baseball, basketball, and football – he finished his high school career with 4,697 yards, the third most in Minnesota history. There’s no doubt he’s used to a heavy workload and has shown he can thrive under it.

5. Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas

Washington put the NFL world on notice after he ran a 4.33 40 at the NFL combine, which brought him to tears shortly after. He’s 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds, and running that fast is impressive. He had a journey in college, playing three seasons at Buffalo and one at New Mexico State before transferring to Arkansas for his last year. He totaled 1,070 yards and eight rushing touchdowns with the Razorbacks this season.

You definitely feel the speed Washington has when you watch his tape. He’s electric while going north/south and can hurt defenders when there’s a sliver of space; he’ll hit it with that speed. On zone plays, I felt like he didn’t have the agility to make fast cuts up the field. Doesn’t have elite contact balance or agility, but his jump cut is fantastic. Can keep his feet under him and make it look smooth. Can catch passes out of the backfield, and his pass pro will need work before an NFL team will put him out there for three-downs.

6. Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest

If your team needs a change of pace back look no further than Claiborne. He’s 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds and ran a 4.37 40 at the combine. I thought he’d run faster, but it doesn’t matter; he has real speed on tape. He totaled 909 yards and 10 touchdowns for Wake Forest and had 12 15-plus runs this season for the Demon Deacons. Biggest knock I’d have for Claiborne (besides running in-between the tackles) is ball security — he had five fumbles this season. Needs to improve his upper body strength to handle the physicality of NFL defenders trying to rip the ball away from him.

Like Love, he joined the track team in high school and won the state championship in the 100 meters with a time of 10.67 seconds as a junior.

7. Kaytron Allen, Penn State

Allen spent four years at Penn State, totaling 4,180 rushing yards and 39 rushing touchdowns. He’s 5-foot-11 and 219 pounds (didn’t test throughout the process). He’s a bigger back who thrives going in between the tackles. Isn’t the best at stretching the field, and doesn’t have natural burst. He’s efficient at finding space and just hitting the hole while not doing anything extra. He has extra value with his ability to pass protect and catch the ball out of the backfield.

He absorbs contact well and won’t make guys miss in tight spaces. For a team that needs a power back that can be on the field for third-downs, Allen is the perfect prospect.

8. Kaelon Black, Indiana

Wasn’t a full-time starter with Indiana this season and shared time with his teammate Roman Hemby. Black is a smaller back height-wise at 5-foot-9, but hits hard with all 211 pounds of him. Ran a 4.45 40 at the NFL combine. Black started his career at James Madison, but followed his head coach, Curt Cignetti, to Indiana. In 2025, he had 1,039 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. He was impactful throughout the Hoosiers’ championship run.

He has light feet and knows how to garner extra yardage in his runs. One of the best backs in this class when it comes to vision. He’s an older prospect at 25, but, like in college, he can be part of a backfield committee in the NFL.

9. J’Mari Taylor, Virginia

Taylor spent five seasons in college at North Carolina Central (an FCS team) before getting his shot with Virginia this past season. He didn’t let it go to waste, running for 1,062 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns, leading the team in rushing. He’s an older prospect like Black, but will be 24 by the time training camp starts. He’s 5-foot-9 and 199 pounds and ran a 4.63 40 at his pro day. He doesn’t have elite long speed, but he makes up for that in everything else he does.

He has a more compact build and uses it to bounce off contact. He has quick feet to make jump cuts and runs with great patience. Doesn’t have the explosion to be considered a top back in this class, but overall, he’s a great back to add to any NFL room with the way he runs.

10. Nicholas Singleton, Penn State

Singleton spent four years at Penn State, as did his teammate Allen. He totaled 3,461 yards and 45 rushing touchdowns in his time there and was known for being the speed back out of the two. He was named the 2021 Gatorade National Player of the Year in high school and ran track as an all-county sprinter in Pennsylvania. You see the speed on tape, and when he gets daylight, he moves. He wasn’t consistent enough to be higher on this list, and he felt his vision was all over the place at times. But when he is given space to operate, he can make a team pay. Great pass pro as well, and a fantastic receiver, having over 100 receptions in college.

He broke his 5th metatarsal in his right foot at the Senior Bowl, which prevented him from testing throughout this cycle, but he’s been medically cleared and has started training and running again.

Player outside looking in

11. Adam Randall, Clemson

Randall started his career at Clemson as a wide receiver, but made the transition to running back. He’s 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds and ran a 4.5 40 at the NFL combine. His speed comes from his high school track days, when he ran a personal best of 10.94 in the 100-meter dash. He showcased the ability to be patient, elite vision and movement in the open field, but it’s very inconsistent. He operates more effectively in a gap scheme where he can keep things in front of him.

Didn’t have the natural speed or one-cut ability to succeed in a zone scheme. Frame lets him battle through arm tackles and fight through defenders easily. Transitioned from receiver, so I thought his hands would be better, but he had six drops this past season out of the backfield.