There’s Jeremiyah Love, and there’s everyone else.
That’s how it is in the 2026 NFL Draft class … and maybe, eventually, how it will be in future Fantasy Football drafts. Love is that good.
That’s why I’d like to immediately dive into Love’s profile, then talk about the rest of the RB crop.
1. Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
6-0, 212 lbs, 4.36 in the 40-yard dash
Stats: 199 carries, 1,372 yards (6.9 yards per rush); 34 targets, 27 catches, 280 receiving yards; 21 total TDs
Strengths: Unique accelerator with excellent patience, balance and breakaway speed. Can break away from defenses on any step he takes. Good lateral agility to cut, side-step and spin past defenders. Played tough and pushed for extra yards constantly. One fumble (recovered by the Irish) in three seasons. Potential to be equally as good in the receiving game thanks to great coordination and good hands. Should evolve as a pass protector to give him every-down appeal.
Concerns: A tad undersized and may want to add a little muscle to his build. Definitely benefitted from a strong offensive line and could struggle to have as many big plays behind weaker NFL O-lines, especially against NFL-caliber defenses (Ashton Jeanty suffered this way as a rookie). Also rarely played more than 70% of the snaps, signaling a concern about being given too much work.
Best advanced stat: Not only was his 16.1% explosive rush rate fourth-best among qualifying FBS running backs (at least 100 carries), but his 18.1% explosive rush rate on zone-scheme runs implied that he’d gain at least 12 yards once every five attempts on zone runs.
Worst advanced stats: Last year Love was in the top 84th percentile in yards before contact per rush with 2.39 yards. In 2024 he was in the 88th percentile with 2.55 yards, suggesting he got a huge benefit playing behind a strong offensive line. He also played more than 70% of the snaps in three games in 2025 and between 60 and 69% of the snaps in three other games, meaning he played 59% of the snaps or less in five other games (excluding one game he left and returned to).
Best-case scenario: Love’s should immediately be a feature back, but each of the three teams most likely to draft him — the Cardinals at 3, the Titans at 4 or the Giants at 5 — have running backs on the roster who would limit his workload as a rookie. The Giants would especially be a problem since Love would have to fend off Cam Skattebo for snaps, especially in short-yardage/goal-line situations. We’re rooting for the Titans for short-term reasons and the Titans, Cardinals or a trade-up by the Commanders for long-term reasons.
Who else is there?
The remainder of the RB class offers a handful of guys who could become feature backs but will almost certainly start their careers as part-timers. The clear exception would be whoever the Seahawks draft because any rookie headed to Seattle has a leg-up on beginning the year as the starter because of Zach Charbonnet’s injury. Other teams like Minnesota, Carolina, Houston, Pittsburgh and Arizona might offer a capable rookie a fast track to over 13 touches per game.
Here’s how I see the rest of the running back class, along with where I would rank them if they landed in Seattle.
2. Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas: Strong, coordinated running back with very good vision. Very good burst and lateral agility. Fast (4.33 speed). Seemed like a natural receiver despite limited targets. Tough to bring down. … Will need to be coached up on not running so upright. Rushing stats may have been inflated because he played with a rushing threat at QB. Work in progress as a blocker.
If he went to Seattle … He’d be a top-60 Fantasy pick – higher had Washington performed better on outside-zone runs last year. Charbonnet’s skill set isn’t like Washington’s, giving the Seahawks another version of the ying-yang couple from 2025.
3. Jadarian Price, Notre Dame: Strong, tight body type with a good combo platter of power and quickness. Reliable at following his blocks. Impressive lateral agility gets him east-west in a jiffy. Good acceleration and contact balance but really good vision helps set him apart. Finishes his runs strong. Can help in the kick-return game, too. … Didn’t get a big workload in part because he was behind Jeremiyah Love on the depth chart; played one game with more than 37% of the snaps in 2025 and had 15-plus touches once in 41 games. Didn’t catch the ball much. Had some untimely fumbles (four total with three inside the 5-yard line).
If he went to Seattle … He’d be a borderline top-60 Fantasy pick. His skill set seems awfully similar to Charbonnet in terms of rushing and nowhere near as similar as a receiver. Charbonnet would probably have an advantage on goal-line carries also.
4. Jonah Coleman, Washington: Big dude with a low center of gravity. Considering his size he has really good lateral quickness and cuts, fitting for a zone runner. Good patience and decisive vision. Physical and tough — can absorb contact and bounce off people to keep plays going. Should be a short-yardage winner — 21 of 25 downs of 1 yard to go were converted including 5 of 6 at the one-yard line. Solid as a receiver and in pass protection. … Not an explosive back — his cuts are about the only place you’ll find some explosiveness, certainly not in his linear speed. He was usually cooked when he stopped his feet. Seemed faster when he was at Auburn before suffering a knee sprain.
If he went to Seattle … He’d be a top-75 Fantasy pick who’d share with Emanuel Wilson even if Charbonnet were to sit out half the year. He’s a “thunder” back who may only get a feature workload due to injuries.
5. Emmett Johnson, Nebraska: Quick-footed back who can stop and start his feet. Good acceleration which helps him take a narrow crease and turn it into a big gain. Used in the passing game and has natural hands (one drop in 2025). … Smallish body. Dances in the backfield a little and tries to hit home runs instead of accepting singles. Vision could be an issue. Top speed is not great — he’ll get caught from behind. Not physical and will go down at first contact a bunch.
If he went to Seattle … He’d be a top-85 pick who would absolutely share reps with Wilson. His quickness and receiving skills would definitely be helpful, but he’s almost a smaller version of Charbonnet with a minimal shot of overtaking him (or even Wilson) for short-yardage work.
6. Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest: Teapot sized: short and stout. He can fly — very good speed with the cutting chops to make himself a dangerous zone-scheme runner. Excellent acceleration and good vision. … Not a big guy. Willing to be physical but doesn’t always achieve extra yardage or broken tackles. Ten career fumbles (six lost — three of them on kickoffs) and eight career drops (14.1% drop rate yikes) are extremely problematic; many of them were ripped from his grasp. Nine-inch hands don’t help.
If he went to Seattle … He’d be a top-90 Fantasy pick who would not only share with Wilson but potentially be on a short leash if he fumbled. His speed is awesome, his turnover-prone hands and lack of strength are not.
