2026 NFL draft running back projections: Rankings, comps - ESPN

The conventional wisdom about the running backs in the 2026 NFL draft is that Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame) is far ahead of the rest of a somewhat disappointing class. The opinion of my BackCAST projection system is the same.

Last year, nine running backs had a BackCAST over 40%. This year, Love is the only running back who passes this threshold. However, there are still several backs who have positive projections and should be useful NFL players.

BackCAST projects running back success in the NFL based on statistics that have correlated with success in the past. Historically, a college running back who has a good size/speed combination has a high average yards per carry and represented a large percentage of his college team's running game is more likely to succeed at the pro level.

BackCAST considers these factors and projects the degree to which the running back will exceed the NFL production of an «average» drafted running back during his first five seasons. For example, a running back with a plus-50% BackCAST is projected to gain 50% more yards than the «average» drafted running back. BackCAST also projects whether each player is likely to be heavily involved in the receiving game or is more of a «ground-and-pound» back.

What follows are some of the notable BackCAST projections for the prospects available in the 2026 draft. (Note: I wrote about these running backs out of order so I can take on two pairs of teammates together.) Let's get started with the Fighting Irish's former duo.

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Full BackCAST rankings
Methodology: How it works

BackCAST score: 89.0%
Scouts Inc. ranking: 1
Type of back: Balanced
Similar historical prospects: Travis Etienne Jr., Todd Gurley (but lighter)

BackCAST score: minus-46.4%
Scouts Inc.