Kyle Crabbs' final 2026 NFL Draft running back rankings illustrate the special talent that is Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love. And they leave the rest of this year’s runners in the dust.
Next week’s 2026 NFL Draft
is going to see a running back go high. Very high. Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love comfortably leads the pack. He has all year for the 2026 NFL Draft running back rankings.
Behind him? It may be a matter of personal preference and scheme fit. There’s all kinds of options to choose from and roles to fill. I’ve studied more than 20 running backs from this year’s class and with the draft upon us, it is time to stack them up. Here are my 2026 NFL Draft running back rankings in full.
1. Jeremiyah Love , Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 86.50/100 (Top-10 Overall Grade)
There’s not much left to be said here. Love has checked all the proverbial boxes and is an elite offensive weapon for a league that appears to be rekindling their love for the running game. He’s got size, explosiveness, good vision, slipperiness at the point of contact, and can contribute in the passing game.
…if you’re waiting for the cons, keep waiting. He’s a pretty complete player, hence the Top-10 grade.
2. Jadarian Price , Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 75.50/100 (Third Round Grade)
Price needed a little more size or a little bit more explosiveness to land a Second Round Grade from me, but he’s a very good, steady football player. He’s smooth, a natural vision runner who feels space and works to it for added yardage beyond what is blocked for him. Price feels like a viable primary player in a running back situation despite being the platoon player behind Love in college. But I don’t know that he’s an every-down player and I can envision a different skill set taking over on passing downs.
3. Jonah Coleman, Washington Huskies: 75.00/100 (Third Round Grade)
5-foot-8, 220 pounds. My stocky king, Jonah Coleman ! He doesn’t have a prolific athletic profile but he’s got great running leverage, contact balance, and vision. I would suspect that Coleman is a gap-scheme heavy runner, as I didn’t see the footwork or burst that you’d ideally want in a reactive zone runner. But in the right situation with an offensive line capable of displacement on the first level, Coleman can be a productive starter.
4. Mike Washington Jr ., Arkansas Razorbacks: 74.50/100 (Third Round Grade)
Washington Jr. is a dynamite stick dressed up in football pads. Explosive! He’s a violent runner who is surprisingly fluid for how high-cut he is. If you want home runs, this is your guy. He’s got easy open-field gas but with his size he’ll put fitting defenders in conflict on how to tackle him.
I do believe Washington Jr. would benefit from staying “on schedule” a little more frequently, as he doesn’t have the short area wiggle or foot speed to get himself started again once he stops his feet trying to create added room.
| 5. |
Emmett Johnson |
Nebraska |
73.50 (RD4) |
| 6. |
Penn State |
72.00 (RD4) |
|
| 7. |
Penn State |
71.50 (RD5) |
|
| 8. |
J’Mari Taylor |
Virginia |
71.50 (RD5) |
| 9. |
Kaelon Black |
Indiana |
71.50 (RD5) |
| 10. |
Clemson |
69.50 (RD6) |
|
| 11. |
Indiana |
69.50 (RD6) |
|
| 12. |
Max Bredeson (FB) |
Michigan |
69.50 (RD6) |
| 13. |
Jam Miller |
Alabama |
69.00 (RD6) |
| 14. |
Oklahoma |
69.00 (RD6) |
|
| 15. |
Seth McGowan |
Kentucky |
68.50 (RD7) |
| 16. |
Demond Claiborne |
Wake Forest |
68.50 (RD7) |
| 17. |
Desmond Reid |
Pittsburgh |
68.00 (RD7) |
| 18. |
Robert Henry Jr |
UTSA |
68.00 (RD7) |
| 19. |
Rahsul Faison |
South Carolina |
67.00 (UDFA) |
| 20. |
Toledo |
66.00 (UDFA) |
|
| 21. |
Le’Veon Moss |
Texas A&M |
64.50 (UDFA) |
My favorite Fourth Round Grade player in my final 2026 NFL Draft running back rankings is Emmett Johnson, the slippery jitterbug runner who could avoid you getting ahold of him in a phone booth. He’s discounted Bucky Irving
for me and, in the right situation, could seize a highly productive role. Kaelon Black could be a hard sell for some teams as a 24-year old who turns 25 halfway through his rookie season. But watch his pass protection reps and how often he takes what’s available plus a few more. I like him a good bit on Day 3.
Kentucky’s Seth McGowan is an interesting Day 3 option too, but he has some off-field issues on his resume and despite how explosive his NFL Combine was (42.5″ vert, 10’11” broad at 223 pounds), he wasn’t necessarily an explosive runner from a production standpoint. Ball security is also a knock.
I wanted to like Le’Veon Moss a whole lot more. But he’s got notable injuries on the resume, he’s never played in 10 games in a single season and makes his best plays as a tough, churn it out player. It’s a tough mix for me to buy in on. In all, my 2026 NFL Draft running back rankings offer a deluxe player, several scheme-specific starters, and a platoon of compelling role players. It’s a good thing teams spent in free agency to find starters there!
NFL Draft
Kyle Crabbs 58 minutes ago
