7 Rookie Running Backs To Know For 2026

Rookie running backs have an enormous impact on fantasy football leagues each year. Last year, Ashton Jeanty, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins finished as top-24 RBs. In 2024, Bucky Irving was one of the best possible selections in one-year and dynasty formats.

In recent years, very few running backs are playing into their thirties and are recycled for newer, younger players. Only the elite backs make it to a second contract. That churn means rookie running backs are more likely than ever to find their way into playing time. And even when a rookie doesn’t make an immediate impact, the violent nature of the position produces a steady stream of injuries that pull highly drafted players onto the field.

In this article, I’ll work through every rookie running back selected in the top 170 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft, in draft order. Keep one thing in mind: running backs don’t strictly need draft capital to carry fantasy value, but it certainly helps them earn early playing time. A handful of intriguing backs fell outside that top-170 cutoff and aren’t covered here.

I’ll use RotoViz’s Prospect Box Score Scout to generate comparable players for each running back. If you don’t have a RotoViz subscription, we highly recommend checking them out — there’s no better evidence-based provider of fantasy football content.

Jeremiyah Love, 3rd Overall, Arizona Cardinals

Regarded by many as the best football player in the class, Jeremiyah Love became the highest selected running back since Saquon Barkley in 2018.

Love saw the field as a freshman, but his real breakout came as a sophomore, when he piled up 1,413 total yards and 20 touchdowns. He topped it as a junior with 1,652 total yards and 21 touchdowns.

Combining athleticism, efficiency, and receiving ability, there isn’t much to nitpick with Love. He posted a YPRR above 2.0 and avoided tackles at an excellent rate.

His 4.36 forty at 212 pounds translates to a 98th-percentile speed score.

Sim	Player	Draft	RuYPG	RecPG	RuYds	Rec	RuYMS	Tyms	Forty	WT
100	Jeremiyah Love	3	71.39	1.56	1372	27	0.41	0.21	4.36	212
82	Trent Richardson	3	82.37	1.79	1679	29	0.41	0.24	4.48	228
31	C.J. Spiller	9	68.12	2.39	1212	36	0.41	0.25	4.37	196
25	Darren McFadden	4	120.76	1.21	1830	21	0.48	0.32	4.33	211
25	Ezekiel Elliott	4	113.17	1.66	1821	27	0.62	0.31	4.47	225
21	Bijan Robinson	8	109.94	1.94	1578	19	0.6	0.32	4.46	215
15	Jonathan Stewart	13	82.03	1.37	1722	22	0.52	0.23	4.46	235
12	Todd Gurley II	10	109.5	2.17	911	12	0.56	0.27	4.52	222
9	Christian McCaffrey	8	106	2.68	1603	37	0.58	0.36	4.48	202
9	Knowshon Moreno	12	105.15	2.04	1400	33	0.64	0.32	4.5	217
9	Leonard Fournette	4	119.69	1.28	843	15	0.56	0.36	4.51	240

Column Key

Sim refers to the sim score for how similar each comparable player is. RuYPG is the average per game for each rusher’s career. RecPG is the per-game receptions for each player’s career. RuYds and Rec represent rush yards and receptions for each player’s final season. RuYMS refers to the rushing yards market share. TYms refers to each player’s market share of total yards.

There are no red flags here. That said, Love doesn’t quite match the high-end passing-game usage or total backfield domination of some of the backs taken at the very top of recent drafts.

Even so, Love is a special player, and it’s hard to imagine the Cardinals not handing him a heavy workload given the capital they spent. He’ll be expensive on a questionable offense, but historically this isn’t the type of player you want to bet against.

Jadarian Price, 32nd Overall, Seattle Seahawks

Jadarian Price backed up Love at Notre Dame, so he never compiled the kind of production you’d expect from an early pick. He never rushed for more than 750 yards in a season and never topped a 31% dominator rating, though he was efficient (6.0 YPC) when given the chance.

As a receiver, he never caught more than six passes in a single season — a real concern for his fantasy outlook.

Price ran a 4.49 forty at 203 pounds, good for a 66th-percentile speed score.

Sim	Player	Draft	RuYPG	RecPG	RuYds	Rec	RuYMS	Tyms	Forty	WT
100	Jadarian Price	32	42.3	0.38	674	6	0.25	0.12	4.49	203
65	Josh Jacobs	24	37.2	1.2	640	20	0.2	0.12		220
55	Tyrion Davis-Price	93	49.83	0.8	1003	10	0.4	0.12	4.48	211
54	Miles Sanders	53	51.44	1	1271	24	0.37	0.15	4.49	211
47	Felix Jones	22	77.84	1.03	1162	16	0.31	0.22	4.44	207
36	Zamir White	122	55.22	0.46	856	9	0.3	0.14	4.4	214
35	James Cook	63	32.67	1.46	728	27	0.17	0.11	4.42	199
30	DAndre Swift	35	67.09	1.7	1218	24	0.3	0.19	4.48	212
29	Damien Harris	87	57.98	0.98	876	22	0.32	0.16	4.57	216
28	Kenyan Drake	73	39.34	1.21	408	29	0.19	0.12	4.45	210
26	Christine Michael	62	69.78	1.1	417	8	0.45	0.17	4.54	220

His comps are all over the map, ranging from Tyrion Davis-Price and Zamir White to Josh Jacobs. The concern is that the hits in this group were far better receivers than Price has been. At a position as replaceable as running back, it’s odd to see a team spend this kind of capital on an unproven player with so little receiving production — it speaks to how badly the Seahawks needed to fill a hole.

That context matters: with Kenneth Walker gone and Zach Charbonnet recovering from an ACL tear, Seattle had a clear need. Price has already drawn “entire drives with the starters” early in camp.

Kaelon Black, 90th Overall, San Francisco 49ers

Kaelon Black’s long college road began at James Madison, where he redshirted as a freshman and then played just three games the following season before a knee injury ended it. He stuck around for two more years, earning a starting role in the second.

He then transferred to Indiana for his final two seasons. Black saw more work in the second — and won a national championship — but still reached only a 31% dominator rating and caught just four passes. After all that college football, he’ll turn 25 in October.

Black never truly dominated a backfield and lacked a consistent receiving profile, so there’s little in his production to project NFL success. He wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine.

Sim	Player	Draft	RuYPG	RecPG	RuYds	Rec	RuYMS	Tyms	Forty	WT
100	Kaelon Black	90	46.12	1.02	1039	4	0.29	0.13		208
79	Jordan Scarlett	154	52.74	0.43	776	10	0.36	0.15	4.47	208
77	Jase McClellan	186	56.6	1.14	890	15	0.36	0.16		221
76	Qadree Ollison	152	59.56	1.04	1213	11	0.33	0.19	4.58	228
76	Glen Coffee	74	61.97	1.24	1383	16	0.37	0.2	4.5	209
73	Damien Harris	87	57.98	0.98	876	22	0.32	0.16	4.57	216
72	Zamir White	122	55.22	0.46	856	9	0.3	0.14	4.4	214
70	Mike Gillislee	164	53.13	0.59	1152	16	0.3	0.16	4.55	208
67	DeeJay Dallas	144	49.26	0.9	693	14	0.35	0.17	4.58	217
58	Jonathan Williams	156	64.47	0.72	1190	11	0.34	0.19	4.56	220
56	Matt Jones	95	55.04	0.73	817	11	0.35	0.18	4.61	231

This looks like a reach, something Kyle Shanahan has been known to do. The trouble is that many of his hand-picked backs — Tyrion Davis-Price, Trey Sermon, and Joe Williams — flopped.

Still, with Brian Robinson gone and Christian McCaffrey aging, the 49ers need a backup to emerge. Black looks set to compete with Jordan James for that job.

Jonah Coleman, 108th Overall, Denver Broncos

Jonah Coleman started his college career at Arizona, leading the team with 871 rushing yards and a 36% dominator rating.

He followed coach Jedd Fisch to Washington as a junior, again pacing the team with 1,053 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, then climbed to an 80% dominator rating as a senior.

He also caught 79 passes over his final three seasons, forced plenty of missed tackles, and gained 71% of rushing after contact. His long speed is a question mark, but the all-around ability is there. Coleman did not test athletically before the draft.

Sim	Player	Draft	RuYPG	RecPG	RuYds	Rec	RuYMS	Tyms	Forty	WT
100	Jonah Coleman	108	61.08	1.74	758	31	0.49	0.19		220
99	Lamical Perine	120	49.7	1.44	676	40	0.35	0.17	4.62	216
98	Mike Davis	126	65.95	1.89	982	32	0.47	0.22	4.61	217
86	Alexander Mattison	102	74.37	1.58	1412	27	0.49	0.2	4.67	221
79	Devonta Freeman	103	60.95	1.27	1016	22	0.37	0.17	4.58	206
78	Damien Harris	87	57.98	0.98	876	22	0.32	0.16	4.57	216
77	Wayne Gallman	140	81.64	1.55	1133	20	0.61	0.22	4.6	215
77	John Kelly	176	58.26	1.59	778	37	0.41	0.21		216
73	Kenneth Dixon	134	95.32	1.87	1070	34	0.57	0.26	4.56	215
71	Zack Moss	86	90.29	1.47	1416	28	0.55	0.27	4.65	223
70	Bryce Love	112	78.76	1	736	20	0.43	0.23		200

His comp list includes some hits, but this isn’t a dominant profile. The landing spot is intriguing: Denver drafted RJ Harvey in the second round last year but doesn’t appear sold on him after an underwhelming rookie season, and JK Dobbins returns on a one-year deal despite a long injury history.

Coleman was an excellent pass-blocker in college, and Sean Payton has said he “can play on third downs.”

Mike Washington Jr., 122nd Overall, Las Vegas Raiders

Mike Washington began his college career at Buffalo, where he spent three seasons but served as the lead back in only one, posting a 52% dominator rating. That year was bookended by two seasons in which he never cleared a 16% dominator rating.

He then transferred to New Mexico State and finally Arkansas, where he reached an 80% dominator rating in his age-22 season. Even so, Washington struggled to consolidate touches and graded poorly in breakaway runs and forced missed tackles.

Washington made a splash at the Combine, running a 4.33 forty at 223 pounds — a 100th-percentile speed score.

Sim	Player	Draft	RuYPG	RecPG	RuYds	Rec	RuYMS	Tyms	Forty	WT
100	Michael Washington	122	57.46	1.3	1068	28	0.42	0.19	4.33	223
72	Ben Tate	58	75.48	1.2	1362	20	0.43	0.23	4.34	220
69	Montario Hardesty	59	49.81	0.79	1345	25	0.35	0.16	4.49	225
67	Cedric Peerman	185	51.35	1.94	774	44	0.51	0.21	4.34	216
65	Jase McClellan	186	56.6	1.14	890	15	0.36	0.16		221
64	Andre Brown	129	57.56	1.68	767	29	0.51	0.23	4.37	224
64	Brian Robinson Jr.	98	50.07	0.96	1343	35	0.28	0.11	4.53	225
63	Cyrus Gray	182	67.31	2.1	1045	31	0.47	0.2	4.4	206
61	Ryquell Armstead	140	61.13	0.63	1098	8	0.38	0.16	4.45	220
61	Bilal Powell	126	61.53	1.18	1405	18	0.4	0.19	4.51	207
58	Bryce Love	112	78.76	1	736	20	0.43	0.23		200

The comps don’t offer many success stories because of the lack of production. Washington is a freak athlete, but that freakishness simply didn’t show up on the field. He’ll give the Raiders depth behind Ashton Jeanty.

Emmett Johnson, 161st Overall, Kansas City Chiefs

We’re now deep into the fifth round with Emmett Johnson. There simply wasn’t much draft capital spent on running backs this year, as the class wasn’t a particularly enticing one.

Johnson is one of the more interesting names left. He posted a 66% dominator rating across nine games in his first college season, and after a mediocre second year, he broke out for an 81% dominator rating in his third — rushing for 1,451 yards and 12 touchdowns while adding 46 catches for 370 yards and three scores.

At 202 pounds, Johnson ran a 4.56 forty for a 41st-percentile speed score. He was average in the leaping drills and disappointing in the agility tests.

Sim	Player	Draft	RuYPG	RecPG	RuYds	Rec	RuYMS	Tyms	Forty	WT
100	Emmett Johnson	161	74.55	2.76	1451	46	0.52	0.28	4.56	202
91	Ito Smith	126	88.94	2.75	1413	40	0.59	0.27	4.45	195
80	Paul Perkins	149	89.44	2.05	1343	30	0.55	0.25	4.54	208
77	Eno Benjamin	222	84.32	2.38	1083	42	0.62	0.27	4.57	207
73	DeAndre Washington	143	72.57	2.64	1492	41	0.53	0.19	4.49	204
73	Tyler Badie	196	59.33	2.74	1594	54	0.37	0.21	4.45	197
71	Elijah McGuire	188	84.55	2.53	1127	29	0.54	0.32	4.53	214
70	Will Shipley	127	76.14	2.36	827	31	0.54	0.26		206
64	Jeremy McNichols	162	94.26	3.03	1709	37	0.5	0.26	4.49	214
62	Sam Hicks		62.91	2.27	1333	45	0.42	0.19
61	Jay Ajayi	149	99.89	1.92	1823	50	0.6	0.28	4.57	221

Johnson’s athleticism and draft slot don’t paint an optimistic picture. But strip away the draft capital and the production looks like that of a player usually taken much earlier — and I’ll take production over athleticism any day.

Kansas City’s signing of Kenneth Walker likely caps his immediate opportunity, but injuries can always crack the door open at running back.

Nicholas Singleton, 165th Overall, Tennessee Titans

Nicholas Singleton spent all four years at Penn State, sharing the backfield with Kaytron Allen the entire time. Allen handled more of the rushing load, but Singleton was the better pass-catcher, hauling in 91 receptions over his final three seasons.

On the ground, though, he posted a poor evasion rate and struggled to generate big plays. He was still recovering from a broken foot at the time of the Combine so he didn’t participate in the athletic drills.

Sim	Player	Draft	RuYPG	RecPG	RuYds	Rec	RuYMS	Tyms	Forty	WT
100	Nicholas Singleton	165	65.13	1.92	549	24	0.4	0.22		219
94	Kylin Hill	256	66.53	1.74	58	23	0.45	0.24	4.51	214
91	Jarett Hunter		55.2	2.09	737	24	0.42	0.23
89	Dri Archer		52.04	2.2	527	25	0.33	0.22
89	Mike Weber	218	70.42	1.42	954	21	0.42	0.18	4.47	211
89	Rico Dowdle		55.56	1.59	498	22	0.39	0.18	4.54	213
87	Raheim Sanders		70.7	1.73	881	27	0.47	0.24	4.46	217
87	DaRel Scott	221	64.89	1.3	708	14	0.47	0.22	4.4	211
87	Isaih Pacheco	251	56.81	1.12	639	14	0.46	0.22	4.37	216
85	James Davis	195	76.35	1.04	751	14	0.47	0.22	4.45	218
85	John Kelly	176	58.26	1.59	778	37	0.41	0.21		216

Comps like Rico Dowdle and Isiah Pacheco offer some reason for optimism but their path is not the norm. Singleton does lands in a Tennessee backfield that lacks a long-term answer at the position, giving him a real path to touches.

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