We are less than a month away from the NFL Draft this April folks. Exciting times! I wanted to begin my draft research with my favorite position, Running Back. Not many people know this about me but I am a bit of a legend in my high school football locker room. I scored 8 touchdowns on my JV football team at running back. Not 1. Not 2. Not even 3. 8. I scored 8. That’s a lotta touchdowns! Not fumbles either, so I can assure you I know what I am talking about. So let’s get into the damn thing.

1. Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

Far and away the best running back prospect in this NFL Draft class, Jeremiyah Love’s impressive college career has slotted him in as a lock for the first round of the NFL Draft this upcoming April. During his two year stint as the bell cow back at Notre Dame Love racked up 3,014 all purpose yards, 40 touchdowns and an impressive 6.9 (nice) yards per carry.

He’s fast, he’s strong, he is the ideal build at running back coming in at 6’0 212lbs. He has great awareness and hits the hole hard, fighting for extra yardage. While he isn’t going to move a pile through sheer will he has phenomenal contact balance and will fight for extra yards without risking a fumble. He wasn’t known for his pass catching ability at Notre Dame but he is more than capable of doing so.

He is a blue chip prospect, and a player any team in any system should be comfortable having and using 20+ times per game. Wherever he goes it is safe to assume he will immediately take on the role as the bell cow back, something that I don’t see happening with any other running back in this class.

2. Nicholas Singleton, Penn State

After Love, opinions are going to vary greatly depending on who you ask. There is a clear drop off from love and, in my opinion, none of these other running backs are going to be needle movers right out of the gate. Fit and scheme will play a role obviously but its much less “plug and play” from here on out.

Enter Singleton. Part of the two headed monster at Penn State, Singleton shows a ton of promise despite a disappointing showing from the Ninny Lions this year. After an amazing 2024 season where he reached 1,099 yards, 41 catches and 17 total touchdowns, he only had 549 rushing yards in 2025 and 24 catches.

Where Singleton is going to shine will be in the passing game. He was a great option at Penn State and will continue to bring that expertise to the NFL. He is a competent route running and can immediately come in and contribute on third downs with the right fit. A weakness of Singleton is his vision, it could use some major improvement. A great way to avoid this weakness is to use Singleton as a pass catching RB, which is excels at and will be able to do immediately upon arriving in the NFL.

3. Jadarian Price, Notre Dame

The sidekick to Love, Price has more than earned his way onto a NFL roster this upcoming season. It would not be the first time we saw a two headed monster come into the NFL. Nick Chubb and Sony Michael out of Georgia comes to mind.

Price had 113 carries for 674 yards and 11 touchdowns as the reliver to Love. He put up similar numbers the year prior. He’s got phenomenal patience and contact balance. He is a physical style of a runner, which you will need to be in the NFL when running between the tackles.

The biggest concern when it comes to Price is injury history. He has a smaller frame, coming in a 5’11 203 lbs. He also tore his Achilles in 2022 and missed his entire freshman year as a result. However, this did not seem to effect him coming back. He still was explosive, still had great speed. He even earned All-American status as a kick returner, which is yet another way Price can contribute early.

Lots to like about this guy in my opinion, and the weaknesses he has are less of a concern to me than what others struggle with in this class.

4. Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas

The Combine Superstar. Mike Washington Jr. had been floating around in the 4-8 range on most major NFL draft outlets and news sites. That changed when he put down his blazing 40 time at the combine of 4.33.

He was a great running back before that though! He has an unbelievable size and speed combo. The type of combo to make you question how we are all the same species. Humans should not be allowed to be that big and that fast. Not unless they play for my specific team.

However, this man is almost has good at fumbling the football as he is running with it. He has 10 fumbles in three seasons. That’s…concerning. To say the least. The best ways to stay off the field in the NFL as a running back is to be poor in pass protection and fumble the football. I, unfortunately, foresee the latter being a major issue for Mike Washington Jr. However, if he is able to overcome this part of his game and increase his ball security he has an incredibly enticing amount of speed and size that should catch the eye of all 32 NFL GMs.

5. J’Mari Taylor, Virginia

a bit of a sleeper in this years NFL Draft, I love this kids story and tape. Standing at 5’10 199lbs Taylor started his collegiate career at FCS North Carolina Central. He did not get a true opportunity until his senior year where he ran for 1,146 yards and 15 touchdowns his senior year. After entering the transfer portal and landing with Virginia he showed what he was capable of, claiming the starting role and producing 1,062 yards and 14 touchdowns.

No drop off in production despite the skill increase, incredibly impressive for someone who didn’t start until his senior year. It makes me feel extremely comfortable in the fact that he shows he can handle a skill jump like FCS to Power 4 football.

He will have to go through another skill jump come the NFL season, but Taylor has great footwork, contact balance, and vision. He is an extremely capable runner who can fit well between the tackles. I would expect him to compete for a committee role early on, pending where he lands and what their running back stable looks like.