{"id":823507,"date":"2026-03-20T17:27:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T17:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/823507\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T17:27:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T17:27:40","slug":"whats-the-rb-pecking-order-after-jeremiyah-love-up-next-notre-dames-jadarian-price-and-washingtons-jonah-coleman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/823507\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s the RB pecking order after Jeremiyah Love? Up next: Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price and Washington’s Jonah Coleman"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yahoo Sports\u2019 \u201cFootball 301\u201d podcast featured an in-depth, position-by-position draft preview, kicking things off with a look at the 2026 NFL Draft<\/a>‘s top running backs. Drawing on the expertise of host Nate Tice and special guest Connor Rogers from NBC Sports, here\u2019s a breakdown of the most notable names and debates involving the running backs you\u2019ll want to know heading into April\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n

The consensus: this is a relatively thin running back class, especially for true top-100 talents. There\u2019s star power at the top but a drop-off after the first few names, with several intriguing committee and special teams types available on Day 3.<\/p>\n

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As always, how NFL teams weigh traits, versatility and special teams value will shape when these backs come off the board, but Jeremiah Love, Jadarian Price and Jonah Coleman are the clear standouts as the draft approaches.<\/p>\n

Jeremiyah Love: Unanimous RB1<\/p>\n

There\u2019s little disagreement about who sits atop running back boards this cycle\u2014Notre Dame\u2019s Jeremiyah Love<\/a>. As Rogers put it: \u201cLove is kind of that bingo space for everybody … it would surprise me if you have some people that don\u2019t think he\u2019s the best back in this class.\u201d<\/p>\n

Love offers a complete package: vision, physicality, and game-changing speed, making him the clear favorite to hear his name called first at the RB spot.<\/p>\n

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Jadarian Price: The high-ceiling teammate<\/p>\n

Rogers highlighted Price\u2019s appeal to NFL talent evaluators: he\u2019s electric in the open field, flashes untapped potential in the passing game, and is highly physical in protection. While Notre Dame didn\u2019t throw to Price often (thanks to Love himself being a passing game weapon), his flashes in zone schemes and willingness to protect should earn him a place in Day 2 conversations.<\/p>\n

Jonah Coleman: The high-floor power back<\/p>\n

Next to Price is Washington\u2019s Jonah Coleman, who offers a fascinating contrast.<\/p>\n

Rogers described him as \u201c[that] bowling ball, fire hydrant, whatever you want to call it, kind of tree stump, 5-foot-9 \u2014 he\u2019s lost a little bit [of weight] but [is] still like a real 220 [pounds] where he could just drop his pads and run through you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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More than just a thumper, Coleman has surprising footwork, soft hands, and short-area quickness. While he may not have home run speed, his reliability and floor make him a favorite for a long NFL career.<\/p>\n

\"SEATTLE,<\/p>\n

Jonah Coleman projects as a nice fit if he’s in a running back committee in the NFL. (Photo by Steph Chambers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

(Steph Chambers via Getty Images)Mike Washington Jr.: The speed score wonder<\/p>\n

Former Arkansas Razorback Mike Washington Jr. is the classic \u201ctraits\u201d bet. He has size, speed and a knack for hitting the hole downhill.<\/p>\n

Rogers painted him as a third-to-fourth round type, with outstanding initial burst but less breakaway gear than his testing might suggest. Nagging concerns include limited creativity and an inability to consistently make defenders miss one-on-one, which caps his upside compared to the top-tier prospects.<\/p>\n

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Penn State\u2019s duo: Kaytron Allen over Nicholas Singleton<\/p>\n

The Nittany Lions have two draftable backs, but the consensus on \u201cFootball 301\u201d is clear: Allen gets the nod over Singleton.<\/p>\n

Allen, nicknamed “Fat Man,” is described as a \u201cHonda Civic\u201d back \u2014 reliable, physical and able to keep an offense on schedule but lacking explosive home-run potential.<\/p>\n

Singleton, on the other hand, boasts straight-line speed and size but remains an \u201cathlete playing running back\u201d rather than a polished pro prospect.<\/p>\n

Tice: \u201cIf you could make [Allen] make that last guy miss, it’s actually a similar discussion we just had with [Mike] Washington. But it’s like, man, I really like him from 0 to 5 yards. But anything past that, I lose steam of how much I like him.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Singleton\u2019s lack of short-area wiggle and feel in the zone game makes him a likely Day 3 pick at best.<\/p>\n

Emmett Johnson: The creative workhorse<\/p>\n

Nebraska\u2019s Emmett Johnson is pegged in the late Day 2\/early Day 3 range, but Rogers describes him as one of the great breakout stories this year.<\/p>\n

Johnson is lauded for his creativity, short-area moves and durability. In 2025, he racked up over 1,400 rushing yards and added major value as a pass-catcher, forcing 20 missed tackles on 46 receptions. His smaller frame raised concerns as an inside runner, but Johnson has bulked up ahead of the draft process (5-10, 202), and his intangibles (football IQ, coachability and passion) should endear him to NFL teams looking for a committee back who can earn a role quickly.<\/p>\n

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Other noteworthy names<\/p>\n

Ja\u2019Mari Taylor (Virginia): The prototypical “muscle hamster” \u2014 a compact, tough, short-yardage specialist whose style and mindset scream special teams stalwart and situational back.<\/p>\n

Demond Claiborne (Wake Forest): A true home-run hitter with track speed and video-game change-of-direction, but questions about size and ball security cloud his path to significant NFL snaps.<\/p>\n

Roman Hemby (Indiana): The do-it-all, pass-protecting, try-hard back who\u2019s not an overwhelming athlete but offers everything you\u2019d want in a no-nonsense NFL backup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Yahoo Sports\u2019 \u201cFootball 301\u201d podcast featured an in-depth, position-by-position draft preview, kicking things off with a look at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":823508,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[4955,50484,34103,28343,7,932,27001,108202,33925,16855,109560,1372,49,48,1003,6,1890,6958,948,33117,2948,2084],"class_list":["post-823507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-football","tag-2026-nfl-draft","tag-connor-rogers","tag-demond-claiborne","tag-emmett-johnson","tag-football","tag-indiana","tag-jadarian-price","tag-jeremiah-love","tag-jonah-coleman","tag-kaytron-allen","tag-mike-washington-jr","tag-nbc-sports","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-football","tag-nebraska","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-teams","tag-nicholas-singleton","tag-penn-state","tag-roman-hemby","tag-special-teams","tag-virginia"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116262683875165397","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/823507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=823507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/823507\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/823508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=823507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=823507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=823507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}