2026 NFL Draft Rookie Running Back Rankings & Projections
The 2026 NFL Draft is set to kick off tonight in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. All of the top prospects in the nation will wait to hear their name called and find out their new NFL teams. Fantasy owners will be keeping a close eye on the running backs, even if not many of them are drafted in the first round. This is our ranking of the rookie running backs in the order we expect them to be drafted.
1. Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Love is the unquestioned top running back in this draft class. He is projected to be a top-five pick in the first round tonight. There is no other running back projected to be picked anywhere in the first round, although there is a chance that one more sneaks in. Nevertheless, with Love being a given, the rankings really start at No. 2.
2. Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
If another running back is going to sneak into the first round, we are going with Love's backfield running mate. Price could be locked in as a first-round pick if he didn't have to share a backfield with the best running back in the nation. Whether it's late in Round 1 or early in Round 2, we expect Price to be the second back off the board.
3. Jonah Coleman, Washington
Coleman is in the mix to be the RB2 in this class, but we have Price slightly ahead of him. While Coleman might have slightly less upside than Price, he does project to be the most likely bell-cow back on the next level, other than Love.
4. Mike Washington Jr, Arkansas
Washington is the running back who has had the biggest climb this offseason. Over the past few months, he went from safely outside of the top five to some people believing he belongs even higher than the RB4.
5. Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
We believe that Singleton will be drafted higher than most people are projecting. He's a high-upside option that some team is going to roll the dice on over potentially better running backs. Look for him to sneak in as a top-five running back on Friday night.
6. Emmett Johnson, Nebraska
Johnson was in the mix to be the RB2 at the start of the offseason, but a poor performance at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine has sunk his draft stock. While he could still be a very good NFL running back, because the skill set his there, he's going to fall in the draft because of his perceived lack of elite athleticism.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 9:43 AM.